


Those That Game Together

by RogueGhost, Zifeara



Series: Those That Series [1]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, First Time, Fluff and Angst, He has no idea how to do the thing, Lots of biting, Oh there will be smut, Shameless Smut, Spoilers, This is what happens when I have control over MC, Uncontrolable Angst, Yoosung got sass, Yoosung is an embarrassing little muffin, Zen is super done, Zifeara curses like a sailor, i was bored ok, mostly cannon, not super graphic violence but just in case i tagged it, there's going to be language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2018-10-02 10:54:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 160,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10216433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueGhost/pseuds/RogueGhost, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zifeara/pseuds/Zifeara
Summary: Yoosung Kim was your typical college student; every day the same and every day boring. His only joy came from the interactions with his guild members and friends in LOLOL. Until she joined the RFA. How did everything change so fast?This is my own take on what's going on behind the scenes when I played Yoosung's route.





	1. The Dragon's Lair

**Author's Note:**

> This is my own personal headcannon of my MC while playing through Yoosung's route in Mystic Messenger. I have never written fan fiction before, but what the heck! Yes, Yoosung is my favorite, no I have not played all of the routes, yes I did play Seven and Zen's as well. 
> 
> Just for reference, my MC is named Zifeara Nightshade and is based on an OC from another story I write. She is 5'5, has black hair and indigo eyes. In this, she works as a commissioned artist and is 90% sass. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> P.S. I am doing this just for fun, so it will be updated whenever I get around to it, if anyone cares.

Today was the day his life changed.

He never would have guessed it considering today felt the same as every day before it. He was late to class, lunch was lame, time dragged on before he could finally go home. Home to the one thing keeping him going. Yoosung stepped in to his humble apartment, dropping his bag on the floor and rushing to his desk. He quickly pushed the power button on his computer and logged in, flopping down on his nearby bed as the machine warmed up. Checking to see if anyone was in the chatroom, he opened the messenger app.

Finding no one, he tossed his phone down onto the messy sheets. Yoosung should really do his homework. He had plenty, but there was nothing to motivate him to start. Something else was calling for his attention right now. Moving to sit in his desk chair, Yoosung pulled up the prevailing ray of sunshine in his life onto the screen. LOLOL. The game was the one thing he was good at. The one thing he felt confident in. One of only two places he truly had friends. Speaking of friends…

Once he logged in, Yoosung noticed the icon telling him he had a new private message. There was one person in particular he was hoping it was from, and opening it he felt a grin spread across his face.

 

_> SupermanYoosung from TheDementedDragon Hey man. I know you have class and whatnot, but if you’re on tonight, wanna hit me up? I have a few things I’d love your help with! I’ll be on after 5 if that’s a yes! Same old me same place as always. If you’re busy, don’t worry, I’ll live._

 

Yes! A few months ago, a new guild formed on their server and he had run into its leader a few times. Whoever they were, they were amazing at LOLOL, almost as good as he was, in fact. Currently they were number 6 on the server and were working their way up fast. Dragon, as they were called in chat, had helped him on a few raids and quests and before he knew it, they were friends. They were Shooting Star server’s dynamic duo.

Yoosung sent an affirmative message back and stood up to go make himself something to eat before he got sucked into whatever Dragon had in store for them that night. He had about an hour to kill. While eating, he did make a small attempt to get some classwork done, but it was short lived. 5:01 and it was LOLOL time.

Logging in to the world and running off to a small town, Yoosung parked his character next to the statue in its center; a dragon being slain. The blonde always found it funny that this was consistently their chosen meeting place considering his friend’s username. Thoughts wandering as he waited for his quest buddy, Yoosung wondered what they were like in real life. In game, Dragon was funny, smart, witty, and very considerate. They talked through the game chat all the time. Never voice chat, though.

Dragon IRL was an artist, making a living off commissions, but that’s all Yoosung really knew. Thinking about it, he had never asked if his friend might be… a girl? Yoosung had assumed Dragon was a guy, since he didn’t know a single girl that played LOLOL, but had never bothered to ask… The blonde snapped out of his thoughts when a familiar face in a set of black armor appeared next to his character and did the waving gesture.

 

_TheDementedDragon has invited you to private chat_

_SupermanYoosung has entered private chat_

_SupermanYoosung: hey!_

_SupermanYoosung: ready to go?_

_TheDementedDragon: i am if you are!_

_SupermanYoosung: sweet, what are we up to?_

_SupermanYoosung: you said you needed some help?_

_TheDementedDragon: yeah, I may have a little task list for us_

_TheDementedDragon: if you dont mind, of course ^^_

_SupermanYoosung: anything for you! gets me xp anyway :3_

_SupermanYoosung: lead on_

***

Dragon had logged off at around 11 to go get some snacks from the store they said was near their house, but hadn’t come back yet. They said they’d be back on… This was a little over an hour ago and Yoosung was worried for his online buddy. Just because they had never met, didn’t mean he had no concern for the other party’s safety.

Logging on to the RFA chat to distract himself, he found the members all present for once. Except V of course. Fucking V. It wasn’t long before Seven was picking on him and Zen was bragging, quickly getting into an argument with Jumin. Jaehee was busy drooling over Zen. Yoosung kept looking to his computer screen to see if his friend would come back when it happened.

 

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

Who? Wait, what? WHO?


	2. Infamous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoosung is an embarrassing little muffin and the ball starts rolling.

Just like that, the RFA had a new member. A new FEMALE member. That Zen was already furiously hitting on. Everyone had logged off as soon as they were done saying hello since most of them weren’t up this late anyway, but Yoosung couldn’t help himself. He was too curious. He opened a new chat.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

_I really want to know what kind of person you are, Zifeara. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: I_ _’m a pretty unique person, I think._

_**Wow, you must have some sort of talent. :Yoosung★** _

_I’m jealous of people who are good at something. :Yoosung★_

_Seven has an immense personality too. :Yoosung★_

_Well, immense is the wrong word. It’s more like unmanageable ^^; :Yoosung★_

_But I think you two will get along pretty well! :Yoosung★_

 

Yoosung couldn't help but be a little embarrassed at the string of word vomit he was typing, but he wanted to put himself out there as the friendly one. That and he couldn’t seem to make himself stop.

 

_Seven is really busy all the time though T_T :Yoosung★_

_He’ll talk for hours and then disappear for a day or two. :Yoosung★_

_I want to chat with you often, though. :Yoosung★_

_I didn’t get to see the photo, but Seven said you’re cute and I believe him..! :Yoosung★_

 

Oh no, why did he say that!? What if she thought that was weird? Oh, this was bad. She was going to-

 

_Zifeara: Thanks! Based on the picture you sent earlier, you aren’t half bad either ~^_

 

Oh. OH. OH NO. OH… yes? Yoosung could feel his face heating up. This was not what he was expecting. He had to say something though. She couldn’t see his blush nor hear the tremble that would certainly be in his voice, so if he played cool and confident, her first impression of him wouldn’t be that he was a total loser.

 

_You talk cute too haha :Yoosung★_

_You must really be a cutie :Yoosung★_

_I am quite the cutie myself! :Yoosung★_

_I made a hat with a towel at the spa to wear :Yoosung★_

_and all my friends tackled me telling me how cute I am :Yoosung★_

_I can never wear the towel hat again because of that.. T_T :Yoosung★_

 

Why? Why had he told her this story? Was he an idiot? Well yes, obviously, but so much for cool and confident. Now he just looked like a stupid child. Why couldn't he shut up?

 

_Zifeara: Haha, why let that stop you? If it made you all laugh, that’s good then!_

_Zifeara: Making other people laugh is a talent on its own._

 

Yoosung was speechless. The new person, the new GIRL, had said something to him in her first hour in the RFA that was nicer than anything anyone else had said all week. He couldn’t handle this right now. This only served to fluster him more. His hands started typing before his overheating brain could stop them.

 

_If only I could visit Rika’s apartment, I’d be able to meet you :Yoosung★_

 

SHIT. He had to bail. Fast.

 

_...But V told us not to go and I can’t disrespect him. T_T :Yoosung★_

_So please chat with me often ^^ :Yoosung★_

_I’ll be off now to go play games! :Yoosung★_

_Sleep well! :Yoosung★_

 

_Yoosung has left the chat_

 

That wasn’t how he wanted that to go at all. Yoosung had wanted so badly to just be… the normal one. Everyone else in the RFA could be a little much to handle at times. He was well aware. He just wanted to be the most approachable. Now he was just a big, blushing, embarrassing mess. His phone buzzed. Seven had text him. Seven had text everyone, actually. He was asking everyone to text Zifeara so he could make sure her phone was connected properly. Ok. Yoosung could do this. He could sound normal.

 

**To Zifeara: Zifeara! It’s me, Yoosung. So nice to meet you~! I can’t believe we have another member… Someone can finally do what Rika did… This must be fate, right?**

 

That sounded pretty normal. He hit send and set his phone on his desk to log out of LOLOL. Dragon didn’t seem to be coming back tonight. Just as he hovered over the menu option, his chat log on screen moved.

 

_TheDementedDragon has invited you to private chat_

 

Well speak of the devil.

 

_SupermanYoosung has entered private chat_

_SupermanYoosung: dude, WHERE DID YOU GO_

_SupermanYoosung: i was really worried…_

_SupermanYoosung: you ok?_

_TheDementedDragon: yeah, man, sorry about that_

_TheDementedDragon: i got caught up in some crazy shit…_

_TheDementedDragon: i have a question though…_

_SupermanYoosung: uh, sure?_

_TheDementedDragon: dont… dont think im creepy, ok?_

_SupermanYoosung: … its only making it weirder to say that kinda thing…_

_TheDementedDragon: ok…_

_TheDementedDragon: Yoosung, what color is your hair?_

 

Yoosung stared at the screen. That was a really weird question. His phone buzzed again on the desk and it made him jump. Flipping it open, he saw that Zifeara had text him back.

 

**From Zifeara: Haha, sure if you believe in that kind of thing. I’ll try to get this ‘party planner’ thing down though, so don’t you worry!**

 

He smiled, momentarily forgetting his waiting partner. He thought a second and text Zifeara back.

 

**To Zifeara: I’m really looking forward to it! Can I ask you something though? Do you like video games? Cause I could always use someone to play with~**

 

As soon as he hit send, he realized he could have worded that last sentence way better. Glancing back to his in game friend, he decided what would be the worst that could happen if he answered their odd query.

 

_TheDementedDragon: Yoosung?_

_TheDementedDragon: I’m sorry, that was weird. Nevermind._

_TheDementedDragon: I’m going to go, I’ll see you around…_

_TheDementedDragon has left private chat_

 

Oh shit. He had left Dragon too long and they had been upset. He opened up a PM and apologized, saying he had been distracted by a text from a friend and that he hadn’t been weirded out. And that his hair was blonde. Hoping that would be ok and that Dragon would see it soon, Yoosung logged out and turned his computer off. Phone buzzing again in his hand, he was surprised Zifeara was still texting him. She must have been talking to everyone though, since they had all sent her a message.

 

**From Zifeara: Yeah, I do actually. I play this and that, but my favorites are Skyring, Bokemon, and....**

 

And? The pause was heavy, like she was deciding what to say very carefully. She must have a lot of games she liked if it was taking her this long to decide which other one went with the first two.

 

**From Zifeara: I may play a little LOLOL.**

 

Yoosung’s heart shot straight up into his throat. Did he seriously read that right? Did the perfect girl just literally fall into the RFA? She thought he was at least somewhat attractive AND played LOLOL?

 

**To Zifeara: NO WAY!!! What server do you play? I’m on one called Shooting Star. What’s your username?!**

**To Zifeara: We should totally team up! You can join my guild if you want! Since I’m good I’ll make sure to look out for you!**

 

He realized he should have been less frantic with his texts, but he couldn’t help himself. He was so excited. If he could get her to play with him, he could impress her and get her all kinds of rare gear and go to cons together and get married in replica armor… Wait, what?! Yoosung’s face flushed again as he had no idea how that thought escalated so quickly. *buzz*

 

**From Zifeara: I… I can’t join your guild Yoosung.**

 

His face fell. She already didn’t like him. He shouldn’t have been so pushy.

 

**From Zifeara: I have my own to look after.**

 

She- she did? She was a GUILD LEADER TOO?! This woman could not get any better right now.

 

**From Zifeara: You said you play on Shooting Star server, yeah?**

 

Yoosung sent a text affirming he did and waited. At this rate he wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight. His heart was hammering and he felt like running straight to Seven and demanding hard evidence to prove if Zifeara was even real or not. This felt like a dream.

 

**From Zifeara: I do too.**

 

Oh god…

 

 **From Zifeara: I kn** **ow you…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUUUUUN
> 
> Haha, making up fake names for real things is fun~


	3. Innocent Chatting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of chats later and something maybe going on between Yoosung and Zifeara?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those of you who pay way too much attention will notice I did a dumb and accidentally squished common story chats and deep story chats together. OOPS! Oh well ^^

Last night had been unreal. Zifeara had turned out to be even better than Yoosung could have hoped. Now the only problem was that she wouldn't text him back. He had gone through the entire day in a blur, hovering over his phone as though he needed it to breathe. He had sent her a few nervous texts throughout the morning apologizing for being so weird yesterday, just in case hers was one of the guilds on the server who didn't like him. There were definitely a few of those… Yoosung even checked the messenger during lunch to find Zifeara talking to Jaehee and Jumin. He decided to test the waters.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

_Jaehee Kang has entered the chatroom_

_Jumin Han has entered the chatroom_

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

 

_Hey, it’s Zifeara! :Yoosung★_

_Jaehee Kang: Welcome yo._

_Jaehee Kang: I mean, welcome._

_typo lolololol :Yoosung★_

_Jumin Han: Her fingers must have slipped._

_Jaehee Kang: …;_

_Zifeara: Yeah sure. That must be it!_

_Yoosung, did you have lunch since you're here now? :Zifeara_

 

Good, at least she was talking to him here. But then what was she avoiding him for? If she knew who he was, then why was she so upset?

 

_I… kind of did. Did you? I did. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: What do you mean kind of?_

_^^ Good :Yoosung★_

_Jaehee Kang: That's…_

_Cafeteria food… :Yoosung★_

_Tastes so bad T_T :Yoosung★_

_I force myself to believe that it's healthy and just shove it in my mouth… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Gross. The side dishes don’t look so good. None of it does really._

_I know T_T :Yoosung★_

_It's good the price didn't go up :Yoosung★_

_but the side dishes seem to be getting worse T_T :Yoosung★_

 

Jumin jumped in and said something ignorant to how normal people do things as he usually did before they all griped about how the two rich members of their group had it so good. And how no one knew Seven had a maid. And way more cars than they had originally thought. And then they got to V. Zifeara expressed concern over V being trustworthy since she didn't know him and that was all it took. Yoosung was quick to have a heated discussion over V and Seven, coming to her defense just as much as he was venting. In the end, he just let it go for now, like he always did. Once the silly talk returned of exterminators and he'd gathered a couple of giggles from Zifeara, the bell rang signaling afternoon classes were beginning. Returning to class, he text Zifeara one more time. She was so normal and friendly in the chat, maybe he was just working himself up.

 

**To: Zifeara Hey… I know I've been bugging you all day but I just really want to know what I did wrong. You were talking to me in chat but you won't text me back. If you know me in LOLOL, just tell me what I did and I'll make it up to you. I want to be friends.**

 

By the time he got home, Yoosung was a nervous wreck. Zifeara officially hadn't replied to anything he sent all day. She'd been in the chat, but still didn't text him. She might have been the leader of the guild they were griefing last week… He was so dumb. He had ruined this before he even had a chance. Zen was in full sending selfies to the cute girl mode. She'd fall for him for sure. They always did. He may be cute, but Zen was Zen.

He buried his face in the pillows on his bed, trying to think of what to do next. Yoosung didn't have to think for long before his phone began ringing. Seven must want something else since there were so many new things going on. He hit the answer button without looking and held the phone up to his half obscured face, making a dejected questioning noise.

 

_“Yoosung?”_

 

The blonde shot straight up. That was NOT Seven. The voice was female. And that wasn't Jaehee either.

 

“Zi-Zifeara!? Oh, um, sorry, I didn't look at who was calling, I- I thought you were Seven. Um…”

 

Zifeara laughed and Yoosung thought he was going to die. It was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. He knew his face had to be on fire.

 

_“Um, I'm sorry for ignoring you all day. I've been busy with work today, but I still could have…”_

“N-no! It's ok, it's fine. Uh, I'm sorry for bothering you so much, I just wanted to… I wanted to know why though. If I know you in-game, then we can be friends, right? If… if I've been a jerk to you at some point, I'm sorry, just let me make it up to you! We could-”

 

_“Yoosung, chill. It wasn't anything you did, I was just… nervous. I was kinda worried that… that I wouldn't be what you were expecting. You know me too.”_

 

She was worried about disappointing HIM? Wait, he knew her? Who had he interacted with lately who… had their own… guild… The wheels started turning in his head and he almost started to sweat.

 

“You… You aren't… DRAGON?!"

 

Zifeara laughed again, but this time she sounded nervous. Yoosung was unsure of what to say, but he also couldn't seem to close his mouth. The new member of the RFA was not only a girl, cute, and willing to help them, but she was also his best friend in his favorite game? Had Rika really sent him an angel?

 

_“Haha, um… surprise? When I went missing in-game last night, the whole thing happened with me getting inducted into the RFA. That's why I didn't come back. Once I saw you in the chat and you mentioned LOLOL, I thought, maybe… you know.”_

 

“Guess you were right, hehe. Um, so we're ok now, right? We're Shooting Star server’s dynamic duo... Can we can be friends for real too?”

 

Zifeara affirmed they could and asked what else he did when he wasn't raiding. Yoosung didn't really have much to tell her since he didn't have a very interesting life. LOLOL was where he was anything special. He remembered she was an artist and inquired as to how she operated. She created requested works through various online art sites and presented her clients with a digital piece. Apparently it was pretty lucrative.

They ended up talking for the better part of two hours before Zifeara stated she'd be off for dinner since she had more work to finish up tonight. They said their goodbyes and Yoosung let out a huge breath he hadn't thought he'd been holding. Talking to her was so easy and effortless but that also meant he had to be careful not to say just whatever came to mind. He risked embarrassing himself yet again if he got too lost in the conversation. Even though they had just spoken, Yoosung was happy to see that Zifeara had logged in to the messenger before doing her work. He decided to pretend they hadn't just talked for so long.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

 

_Hey, it's Zifeara~!! :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Yoosung, I missed you!_

 

Wow, two minutes later and she was already teasing him? If he wasn't careful, he was going to earnestly fall head over heels for her, past the point of no return. It wouldn't hurt to still play innocent, right?

 

_Wow, really? :Yoosung★_

_> _< :Yoosung★ _

_I missed you too! :Yoosung★_

_I see Zen and Jumin had a fight again;;; :Yoosung★_

_They never get along. :Yoosung★_

_I hope you weren't too surprised to see that. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: It was a bit funny to watch actually, haha_

_Zifeara: It's like watching children bicker sometimes ^^;_

_Really? :Yoosung★_

_Well, I'm surprised to hear that. :Yoosung★_

_Never thought anyone would find that funny, haha. :Yoosung★_

_It's wasn't that bad when Rika was here, but, :Yoosung★_

_Zen said something similar earlier, :Yoosung★_

_but it's true Jumin has a hard time empathizing with others. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: I can tell. I don't think he means to be so cold, but still…_

_Jaehee’s a woman too… :Yoosung★_

_He gives her so much work but I've never seen him give her any encouragement. :Yoosung★_

_People say that women are creatures of empathy. He needs to take a more emotional approach lol :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Women, creatures of empathy? I think that's a bit sexist, Yoosung._

 

Oh crap, he hadn't meant to offend her. How does he back out of something like that? Now he was panicky and just started typing fast.

 

_No… :Yoosung★_

_That's not what I meant! :Yoosung★_

_I was just saying that he needs to be kinder to her… :Yoosung★_

_I'm sorry T_T :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: I was just messing with you ^^ Scientifically, women have a different brain structure than men,so we tend to be better at empathizing with others._

_Zifeara: Relax, Yoosung :P_

_Ri-right… ? I read it from a book! :Yoosung★_

_I've never had a girlfriend :Yoosung★_

_but I am very interested! :Yoosung★_

 

He just barely managed to stop himself from typing ‘in you’ before he realized with horror what he had said at all. She kept managing to make him so nervous with as much as she was teasing him. She'd behaved over the phone…

 

_Zifeara: You've never had a girlfriend before? You?!_

_Nope. :Yoosung★_

_I was popular until middle school T_T :Yoosung★_

_Don't know what happened. :Yoosung★_

_When I was in school, I used to get a lot of love letters and all that! :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Easy now, Casanova. Did you reject those letters, though?_

_Yeah… Most of them… :Yoosung★_

_I never knew that this would happen to me T_T :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Aww, don't worry, you won't be alone forever with a face like yours!_

 

Oh god, why does she do that… She has to know what she's doing to him, right? In the chats she'd talked to Zen, she did the same thing, but he of course took it in stride. Zifeara seemed to be a flirt by nature and it was probably going to kill him.

 

_Oh! Since we're talking about it...;; :Yoosung★_

_It's not a group I've joined, :Yoosung★_

_but there's a group called Forever Alones. :Yoosung★_

_It's all people who chose to be forever alone… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Haha, yeah?_

_Zifeara: To be honest, I still can't believe you've never had a girlfriend before._

_Right? :Yoosung★_

_But I was always single T_T This is sad… :Yoosung★_

_Apparently, the group has a lot of wise tips on how to live by yourself. :Yoosung★_

_I think we can invite the president of the club to the party. :Yoosung★_

_What do you think, haha?;;; :Yoosung★_

 

Yoosung didn't know what kind of people Zifeara would want to invite to the party, but he didn't have connections like Jumin or people skills like Zen, so he'd feel bad if he didn't try. She'd probably say no…

 

_Zifeara: Why not? Can you tell them to reach me?_

_Yeah, thanks! :Yoosung★_

_I'm not a member of the group, but I felt a sense of camaraderie. :Yoosung★_

_I'd feel like meeting a friend at the party! :Yoosung★_

_I should go get some dinner. :Yoosung★_

_The time when we forever-alones are the most lonely is when everyone else in the restaurant are couples and you're the only one alone… :Yoosung★_

_Like me T_T… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: I'll eat with you in spirit, just pretend I'm there! I'd come with if I could._

_Oh… :Yoosung★_

_Thanks for the kind words… :Yoosung★_

_Enjoy your dinner too! :Yoosung★_

_See you later! :Yoosung★_

_Promise! :Yoosung★_

 

Logging off, Yoosung smiled. That went well. Sort of. He put on his shoes and just hoped no one at his favorite pizza place would ask if he was feeling ok since he felt his cheeks were still colored. He couldn't stop thinking about someday being able to actually ask Zifeara if she wanted to go grab dinner with him. It was only day two, why was he feeling like this?

 

***

 

Sitting in a stranger’s apartment was definitely weird enough, but being in an organization full of ‘interesting’ people depending on you to help them hold massive charity gatherings was rather scary. Zifeara was trying to take it in stride, but she was definitely nervous. She had this new RFA thing AND she had a week’s worth of commissions to do. She was going to have no time for fun this week, was she?

So far though, everyone in the RFA was really nice. Jumin was a little strange but wasn't intentionally mean, Jaehee was professional but wasn't boring, Seven was hilarious but secretly sweet, Zen was even more of a flirt than she was but was definitely caring, and then there was Yoosung. She liked him before she even got here just from playing so much LOLOL together. Zifeara never would have guessed from the persona he put forth in-game he'd be so… bashful.

Granted, in the world of LOLOL, she wasn't flirty with anyone else simply because she'd never see them, so Yoosung didn't know to expect that. But ever since he got flustered the first time she'd talked to him in chat, she couldn't help herself. He was so cute when he didn't know what to do with her. It made sense since somehow he's never dated before, but it was impossible to not indulge in teasing the blonde.

Zen was no fun since he had started flirting from the second she got here, meaning she could egg him on for a laugh. He was very handsome and seemed to be pretty nice, but she'd have to see how things played out. For now, she had work. At least Rika’s computer could handle her drawing tablet. Zifeara was lucky she even had it, but she had gotten into the habit of carrying it with her everywhere since she had seen things just on a trip to the store that she wished she could draw.

She kept up with the chat as she drew and colored, but she found herself spacing out a little towards the end of the night. She had planned to start one more commission, but she felt like doodling something fun. When a new chat surfaced, she knew what it was she wanted to do.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chat_

_Jaehee has entered the chat_

_Zifeara has entered the chat_

 

_Yoosung★: It's Zifeara~_

_Yoosung★: I'm glad I didn't sign into LOLOL and waited for you lolol_

_I thought you said you were going to log in earlier, though? :Zifeara_

_Didn't you have a raid today? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Well, yeah, but… I did some homework first._

_Jaehee Kang: You're here._

 

Zifeara got her tablet ready and started drawing, hoping the chat didn't move by too fast. She needed her reference to hold still for a little bit. Yoosung and Jaehee moved the topic to Zen in his motorcycle gang and Zifeara couldn't help but giggle as Yoosung got more and more sick of Jaehee’s fawning.

 

_Jaehee Kang: Just imagining it makes you think of a lone eagle soaring through the sky._

_Yoosung★: Jaehee_

_Jaehee Kang: His silver hair flowing in the wind glistening under the sun_

_Yoosung★: **Jaehee;;**_

_Jaehee Kang: And those pursed lips sexy as always!_

_Yoosung★: **JAE**_

_Yoosung★: **HEE**_

_Jaehee Kang: …_

You back with us, Jaehee? You good now? :Zifeara

Zifeara stayed mostly out of the conversation except for a few short replies, but she did take note of how annoyed Yoosung was during the other woman's space out over the RFA’s silver stud. She'd have to push his buttons later. Her drawing was coming along nicely, but she was hurrying before the conversation was over and everyone would go to bed. She could finish the outline tonight and save coloring for tomorrow. Yoosung said something that caught her attention again.

 

_Yoosung★: But you don't think Jumin never had a girlfriend before, right?_

_Yoosung★: If he's a forever-alone like me, I'd be really disappointed._

_Yoosung★: One loser is enough for this group T_T_

_Oh pumpkin, you're not a loser. You're only, what, 20? :Zifeara_

_No one said you had to have your life absolutely perfect the second you became an adult. :Zifeara_

_Shit’s hard. Trust me I'm there with you, I'm just lucky I love my job ^^ :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I…_

_Yoosung★: How could you say that?_

_Jaehee Kang: She has a point, but trying a little in your classes might help you figure things out._

_Jaehee Kang: As for Mr. Han, I'm just his assistant._

 

Before she could decide if Yoosung were upset or not by what she said, Zifeara's phone chimed. Picking it up, the blonde had answered her question for her.

 

**To Zifeara:**

**Did you mean what you said just now? About how you don't think I'm a loser? Because if you did, that may be the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a really long time…**

 

Now she just felt bad. How mean were the rest of the RFA to poor Yoosung if they didn't at least tell him it was pretty normal to not know what the Hell you're doing with yourself yet? Were they all that confident in their own lives?

 

**From Zifeara:**

**Of course I did. I'm lucky I started drawing early so that I'm good enough to do what I do by now. Tell you what, I have something to cheer you up, but it isn't done yet. Send me your email and I'll mail it tomorrow when I finish, k?**

 

Now she wanted to make this drawing perfect. She responded to the chat and told everyone goodnight. Pulling up an image on her computer screen, she held the picture back to make sure it still looked ok from a distance before drawing the rest. Everything was coming together. By tomorrow she'd be ready to color and then she could send it to her LOLOL partner in crime. She was excited.


	4. The Sass Unleashed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zifeara is starting to show her inner sass and Zen is the victim here. When you chose sides, go big or go home.

Work on the picture was going well, so Zifeara decided to look at the chat before going to bed. It was already 1am and she was ready to crash. She was usually pretty nocturnal, but since she had so much excitement yesterday, she didn't get much sleep. Of all people, of course Yoosung was up this late.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

 

_Yoosung★: T_T_

_Yoosung★: Zifeara, hey._

_What's up? Did something happen? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I'm really depressed right now.._

_Yoosung★: LOLOL…_

_Zen has entered the chatroom_

_Zen: Hey, Zifeara._

_Zen: You were still up._

_Yoosung★: No way!!!!!!_

_Zen: ??_

_Zen: You're not even saying hi to me?_

_Yoosung★: LOLOL!_

_Yoosung★: LOLOL….._

_What about LOLOL?_ _Is it time for server maintenance right now? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: UGH YES!_

_Yoosung★: Why right now whay wtheroiaaoefat_

_Zen: Because it's right now… No?;;;_

_Zen: Isn't it best to do it at night rather than during the day?_

_Zen: That's the case for road construction_

_I guess all the employees at the game company are working late… :Zifeara_

_It must be hard for them to pull hours like this. :Zifeara_

_Zen: Everyone else is sleeping right now. It must be tough._

_Zen: You seem to understand others a lot, Zifeara._

_Yoosung★: It's tough for me too T_T_

_Yoosung★: This is the time when all my guild members and I stretch our wings!_

_Zen: You and your members are just being selfish thinking that way;;_

_I love me some LOLOL, but why don't you use this time to study instead of complaining? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Stu_

_Yoosung★: what?_

_Yoosung★: Haha…_

_Zen: tsk tsk_

_Zen: Guess you take that from me lol_

_Yoosung★: Seriously, this is my golden time to shine T_T_

_Yoosung★: And all I can do is watch…_

_Zen: Dude… Stop being so sad._

 

During the discussion of chips and Yoosung eating, Zifeara brushed her teeth and got into bed. Yoosung was being a drama queen.

 

_Zen: If you keep eating things like that, you won't get any taller. lol_

_Are you bragging that you're tall right now? :Zifeara_

_Zen: ^^ I'm not bragging. It's the truth;;_

_Zen: You don't like tall guys?_

 

Zifeara shot a quick text to Yoosung. She had just chosen her side.

 

**From Zifeara**

**Lol watch this. I'm gonna wrek him before the night is over.**

 

_No, not really… It can be kind of a pain if a guy is way taller than you. :Zifeara_

_Zen: Oh, really?;;_

_Zen: Well, that's a shame. But everyone has different tastes, so I'll respect it. lol_

_[Yoosung sigh emoji_ ]

 

Things quickly went downhill once the boys started bickering about height and eating properly, Yoosung dragging Zen for his usually high consumption of alcohol, but Zen still managed to brag about how handsome he was. Zifeara very quickly decided Zen was a tad bit insufferable and she was going to have to knock him down a few pegs when she got the chance.

 

_Zen: Haha… I don't have to._

_Zen: Since I'm an ADULT ^^_

_Zen, I bet you I'm just as much of an adult as you are. :Zifeara_

_Besides, legally Yoosung is too. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Yeah! It's not appropriate!_

_Zen: Alright, I'll keep it G-rated for all you kids._

_Bitch, don't test me. I go from 0 to 60 in seconds. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Whatever you're talking about, I don't think I want to know…_

_Yoosung★: She's right though… I'm an adult._

_Zen: OMG, Zifeara, you're funny._

_Zen: What I mean is a real ADULT, Yoosung._

_Yoosung★: I'd like to hear what you think makes a real adult lol_

_Zen: Haha… You're a curious boy, aren't you?_

_Zen, no. If he doesn't know what you're on about, don't. Drop it. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: +_+_

 

Zen did drop it, and Zifeara sighed. Ho boy. Yoosung was way more innocent than she thought. After exercise talk, the blonde decided to be depressing again and go on about how he hated college and how he felt lame. When sad, Yoosung could almost wax philosophical. Almost.

 

_Yoosung★: Would you ever understand…_

_Yoosung★: this strange destiny I'm facing right now?_

_I understand that part. I went through those uncertain days too not that long ago. Uncertainty is awful. :Zifeara_

 

The more Zen and Yoosung argued over this, the more Zifeara thought her friend just needed… well, a friend. If everyone in the RFA were too busy to keep him on track, maybe she could do it. She worked from wherever. If she could motivate Yoosung into doing his schoolwork, maybe he'd get into a better rhythm. Zifeara was convinced he was very smart, just not very motivated. It wasn't until a picture of a cat meme popped up on screen that she looked back down again.

 

_Zen: Get that away from me;;;_

_Zen: Cats!!_

_Aww, look at the cute kitty, lololol :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: lololol_

_Zen: It's not cute at all!_

_Zen: Seriously! I have goosebumps!_

_Yoosung★: You can't delete a photo posted on the chatroom lol_

 

Once Zen posted a string of letters to clear the cat away, Zifeara knew what she must do. It was on.

 

_Zen: Got rid of it, lol._

_Yoosung★: lolololol_

_But Zen, that cat's cute! :Zifeara_

_Almost as much as this one! :Zifeara_

_[photo of a black cat]_

_Zen: NO, ZIFEARA WHY_

_Yoosung★: LOL_

 

Another string of nonsense and much more faff and griping about V later, Zen posted a poster from his work in a musical called Zorro. That set Zen off again on his own looks and she and Yoosung were just left to sit and deal with it. Trying to think of some way to get rid of Zen, she put a very different card on the table.

 

_Zen: I was born with this, so you can't become exactly like me, but it'll motivate you._

_lololol But that poster is kind of gay lolol. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: lolololol_

_Zen: WHAT_

_Zen: **Are we sure Zifeara is a woman?**_

_Yoosung★: lolololololol_

_Yoosung★: lololololololololololololol_

_Zen: Don't joke around;;_

_Yoosung★: You know… I really like Zifeara._

 

Zen properly offended enough to leave the chat, she now knew how to get him out of here when he was starting to get out of hand. Yoosung confirmed he was irritated over how Zen really was super attractive and said goodnight. Once properly snuggled into her blankets, Zifeara's phone chimed. Yoosung had text her back from earlier.

 

**To Zifeara**

**Oh my god I can't believe you did that to Zen XD You were too perfect.**

 

**From Zifeara**

**What can I say, dude got a little too on my nerves. While he isn't wrong about some of the things he said, he could have been less of a jerk to you.**

 

**To Zifeara**

**Protecting me in the real world just like in LOLOL… We really are good together.**

 

Zifeara almost text back but Yoosung was faster.

 

**To Zifeara**

**Is it too early to say I love you? XD**

 

***

 

WHAT DID HE JUST DO?! Yoosung was kicking himself for sending that, even if it was mostly a joke. He had gotten caught up in the moment. Sure he had indicated that he was kidding, but still… was he really, though? Why did he think that was ok?

 

**To Yoosung**

**Haha, just doing what I do. Maybe a little early. I usually require a bit of ceremony, definitely some mood lighting, and at least an attempt at foreplay. Then we'll talk ;P**

 

Yoosung’s phone went off to signify a follow up text, but he already had his arms on his desk and his head buried in them. There was no one around to see the new shade of red his face had turned, but that didn't stop him. She was definitely doing this on purpose now; there was no question after that. His only real problem was trying to tell if she was flirting to mess with him or flirting in earnest. He gave it a minute before he dared look at what else she said.

 

**To Yoosung**

**Really though, you and I are having the biggest nerd marathon in the history of ever when I get to see you. I've never gotten to meet one of my gaming friends IRL before. Night, Yoosung.**

 

He figured he didn't have to reply to that. He didn't think he even could reply to her. This was going to be a problem. If Zifeara was going to be this… difficult all the time, there was almost no way Yoosung was going to be able to stop the crush that was definitely forming. She had told Zen off for him. ZEN, god of muscles and selfies. He decided it was best to lay down. The world of LOLOL could be on fire right now and he wouldn't be able to focus enough to put it out. The world of Yoosung was on fire and he didn't know how to put that out either.

 

***

 

Yoosung didn't have to go to school today, so he slept in a little. Getting sleep for a change felt so nice. Once he was awake though, he almost didn't know what to do with himself. He could of course, play LOLOL all day, but if he did that, he wouldn't eat breakfast. Breakfast sounded good…

Yoosung remembered a friend at school mentioning a barista club meeting on campus today and that he should go. Checking his phone, he saw he'd still have time to make it. Getting up and dressed, he headed out the door and considered the rest of his free time. He wondered if Zifeara was up yet? He had hit the call button on her number before he thought about it. The phone rang twice and Yoosung almost hung up when he heard the click.

 

_“*yawn* Good morning.”_

“Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you? I don't have classes today and was trying to figure out what I wanted to do…”

_“No, I was awake, I just don't do mornings. Actually, I woke up, like, ten minutes ago? You sound chipper, though, what are you up to?”_

“Hehe, I'm going down to campus anyway to see what the barista club is doing this morning. I thought making coffee sounded like fun, so it might be nice. Besides, I like coffee. Do you?”

_“Coffee and I are good friends since we often team up to combat the evil forces of morning. Someday we will be victorious, but I fear today is not that day.”_

 

Yoosung laughed. Hearing her talk about life like it was a video game in her sleep-husky voice was so endearing. Speaking of videogame-

 

“Hey, since I have the day off, once I get back I was wondering if you wanna play LOLOL with me? Now that we know each other, would you… maybe we can do voice chat since it's just like being on the phone?”

_“Huh, I guess it would be. Hmmm… let me see how much I can get done today. If I do enough work and finish my own little personal project, then I'll have time to play. Plus I have to go grocery shopping. We'll see.”_

“Oh yeah! You said you were sending me something! What is it?”

_“I'm not telling you, silly! That would ruin the surprise~ You'll just have to be a patient puppy. If you want me on tonight, I better get going, but I'll definitely at least talk to you later. Bye Yoosung~!”_

 

Puppy?! He was not a puppy… but he loved the singsong voice she used to say his name. For not being a morning person, Zifeara definitely made his morning better. And slightly more uncomfortable, but in a nice way. Getting on the bus, the ride to campus was spent replaying that call in his mind, trying to memorize exactly how she had said his name…

Getting into campus and off the bus, Yoosung made it almost all the way to his destination without trouble. Almost. He was just one hallway away, why was it never easy?

_“Hey, geek! Funny seeing you here. And awake for once. Figured on your day off you’d be holed up playing your stupid game.”_

He had turned a corner just as the two other boys were coming around it, so he was now face to chest with the two people he dreaded most to see on campus. The American transfer students were always trouble for him. Yoosung had them in most of his classes this semester and from his understanding of American schools, they were what you would call ‘jocks’. These two played almost every sport there was to be had at this university and delighted in messing with him because he was so much smaller and in their eyes far more childish than most of his other classmates. Most days he swore they could spot his hoodie from a mile away.

“Hey Travis. Rich. I have a club meeting today, so you know, I’m kinda in a hurry. See ya!”

As Yoosung moved quickly around them, Travis, the sturdy one with brown hair, grabbed the hood of his jacket. Of course this wouldn’t be that simple. The other boy, a bit leaner but with black hair and darker skin, laughed and Yoosung knew this as their normal routine. He wasn’t getting out of this without at least a grapple and furiously messed up hair. He swore under his breath, causing Travis to jerk Yoosung’s hood back painfully.

_“What did you say to me, midget?”_

Great. Now he was in for worse. He was still remembering the first time Rich had managed to get him into the gym and throw him into the cage of basketballs. They were not soft. Yoosung was too old for this shit, but the one time he did actually fight back, he went home with a black eye. AND they threw him in the ball cage. There were almost no teachers on campus right now. He was screwed. At least that’s what he thought until someone poked their head out of a classroom down the hall and saw him. Oh thank god, that was the same friend who told him about the barista club. She waved in their direction.

_“Yoosung? Oh hey, you made it. Oh hi, Travis. We’re making coffee, do you want some?”_

The larger boy let go of Yoosung’s hoodie, allowing him to scamper over to his buddy and duck into the room. The two said no to coffee, thankfully, so the rest of the morning was pretty peaceful. By the end of the club meeting, the blonde boy had a very cute latte to show for his practice. He’d made a foam heart in the top of it and snapped a quick picture. He’d have to show Zifeara later.

Yoosung was quite proud of himself on the way home. He could be productive. Maybe he’d even do homework today while waiting for Zifeara. He grabbed lunch on the way back to his apartment and hunkered down to do real work. Not before staring at his phone, however. Zifeara was active in the chats, but her responses were short. She must be trying hard to get her work done so she could play with him. He was definitely doing homework today.

It wasn’t that Yoosung was stupid, he knew he wasn’t, he just never had much of a reason to actually do any of this crap. Today felt very different. With the promise of gaming with Zifeara hanging over his head and the thought of her toiling away so that she would have time for him filling his brain, he ripped through his assignments. He only stopped when new chats were available. He had worked so consistently, it was only in the last chat he realized how long he’d actually been at it for. He hadn’t worked on homework this long at once since highschool. He needed a shower.

Yoosung took his phone with him into the bathroom so he could have music while he showered, but he hadn’t expected it to ring. He still had soap in his eyes when he caught a glimpse of who had the worst timing ever. Of course it was her.

 

“He-hello!?”

_“Yoosung? Why do you sound so weird?”_

“My voice is really echoy, right? Sorry! I’m in the shower! Gahh, my screen’s getting wet! I’ll call you after I’m done showering! Oh, uhm!!!”

_“Hahaha, sorry, sorry. I was just trying to tell you we’re on for LOLOL! I’ll let you get back to it, then~!”_

 

There was that teasing tone again. That horribly wonderful suggestive teasing that she lowered her tone for. That tone that as of late broke his brain.

 

“Uh, uhm, do-don’t imagine anything weird…. Uhm… that’s… uh… gahh!!! I feel so embarrassed. I’ve never talked to someone on the phone while I’m naked.”

_“Mmmm, is that why you sound so excited, then?”_

 

He wanted so hard to protest, and he tried, but she didn’t let him say anything else. She laughed again, and hard, by the sound of it.

 

_“Oh, Yoosung, I’m kidding. I’ll send you the link to my Discourse for when you get out. Don’t keep me waiting too long!”_

 

And just like that she hung up. He turned the temperature of the water down. Just the thought of her, sitting at her desk, laughing at him and most likely picturing him naked was sending all the blood in his body straight to his face. He could have ignored her call, he really could. This was it though. This was the point of no return. He really liked this girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell how quickly I got sick of Zen in this playthrough? *whispers* I hadn't played his route yet at this point Yoosung was my first.


	5. A Fatal Case of Gulible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zifeara facepalms really hard in this chapter, which is the largest cannon divergence to date!

This boy was too cute. Who answers their phone in the shower? A grin spread across Zifeara’s face just imagining the shade of red Yoosung must be. She logged into LOLOL on the foreign computer since she had installed it earlier and pulled up Discourse, her preferred chatting program, sending her info to the email her favorite buddy had sent. Oh yeah, she had to email him the picture she drew. Eh, she’d do it later. It wasn’t too long before a new chat popped up. Guess who.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

 

_Did you finish your shower? Lol :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Yeah. Some time ago. It was really refreshing._

_Yoosung★: Feels like my skin is a bit lighter?_

_Did you know over the course of a year, humans shed approximately :Zifeara_

_1.6 pounds of dead skin? Scrubbing some off makes you physically lighter :Zifeara_

_^^ :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: **Didn’t need to know that;;**_

_Yoosung★: Jaehee’s too harsh_

_Yoosung★: What does she mean I won’t get a girlfriend if I play games T_T_

_Yoosung★: If I don’t play LOLOL, I get so lonely that it becomes difficult to handle._

_I’ll make sure you’re not lonely. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: What?!_

_Hun, you and_ _I are both playing in, like, 10 minutes… :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Oh…_

_Yoosung★: To be honest, I think I feel less lonely these days because of u~!_

_Yoosung★: Even while I play games, I keep checking_

_Yoosung★: whether or not ur online._

_Do you have any hobbies other than games? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I do! But they always change. My hobbies are usually my club activities._

_Yoosung★: For example… when I was in the fencing club my hobby was fencing…_

_Yoosung★: when I was in the running club, it was running…_

_Yoosung★: Oh! Since I didn’t have class today, I made coffee in the barista club lolol_

_Yoosung★: The coffee I dripped heehee…_

_Yoosung★: It was pretty good. I wish I could have given it to you…_

_I would have loved that. I was dead this morning T_T :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: My friends kept on telling me to join the barista club so I went to check it out._

_Yoosung★: It was so fun… Should I learn how to make coffee?_

_I think it suits you. Besides, good coffee wins hearts. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Does it?!_

_Yoosung★: Haha… Maybe I should take it seriously…_

 

_Zen has joined the chatroom_

 

Zifeara text Yoosung quickly that she was set to play whenever he was. She was already planning to ditch the chat as soon as she’d been at least been slightly nice to Zen just in case he had anything interesting to say.

 

_Yoosung★: my friend contacted me to log into LOLOL.. I’ll be off!_

 

Did Yoosung not want to make it super obvious that they were playing together? She had said they were just a minute ago, did he forget already?

 

_Zen: **No you won’t;**_

_Yoosung★: Ya? I’m already on._

_Zen: Fast, that guy._

_Hey, Zen. What’s up? :Zifeara_

_Zen: Hello, Zifeara._

_Zen: Yoosung, is playing games all you do at home? Do you even study?_

_Oh here we go again. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I do stdbgy_

_Yoosung★: linyary_

_Zen: What are you talking about?_

_Yoosung★: library_

_Zen: Stop playing games and come here._

_Yoosung★: Wait a seqc_

 

She knew why Yoosung was so distracted. One hand was typing in the messenger, the other was on his keyboard trying to get his Discourse to work. She could hear him, but he wasn’t hearing her.

 

_Lolol you have so many typos. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: lolol_

_Zen: **;;; It’s not funny, he’s just careless -_-**_

_Lay off >:P :Zifeara_

_Zen: The romance novel writers came today with the director to see me._

_Zen: Since this new piece is based on a romance novel…_

_Zen: Apparently, that writer is pretty respected in that group._

_Zen: It did get a bit tiring…_

 

Zifeara knew Yoosung finally got his Discourse working when he said out loud “Oh poor successful, handsome, Zen!” and heard her laughing. Zen carried on and she asked him to invite the writers to the party. Apparently they did the photoshoot for Zen’s play today as well, and he posed a picture of himself in costume.

 

_See, now that’s what I’m talking about. :Zifeara_

_Zen: Eh?_

_Black hair looks **much** nicer with your eyes. Woof. :Zifeara _

_Zen: **Aha!**_

_Zen: I’ve been trying to figure out what you’re about_

_Yoosung★: sexy_

 

Oooh, that irritated Yoosung. He was oddly quiet on his end of the voice chat. Zen chatted more about his role before the gamers bailed from the messenger to go be heroes. He didn’t at any point bring up her comment to Zen, though. Zifeara had to admit, not having to type at Yoosung while they were gaming was indeed nice. Currently they were helping some of her guild members with some quests that seemed easy enough but were pretty hard if you were under a certain level. Since these were the guildmates of hers who weren’t on as frequently, they needed the help. All except for one.

 

_SupermanYoosung: haha, good job you guys_

_SupermanYoosung: you have a nice guild, Dragon_

_TheDementedDragon: thanks. I had help, though_

_TheDementedDragon: my main bitch has been a blessing_

_Night’sFang: oh hush. you know i’m only any good_

_Night’sFang: because of you, hun_

_TheDementedDragon: hey, we started this together_

 

_“Who’s he?”_

 

Yoosung’s question was innocent enough, but she could almost detect a hint of… jealousy? Also, despite what Zifeara had just said in chat, Yoosung very clearly said ‘he’ immediately.

 

“Oh, that’s my IRL best friend. Fang and I have been friends for so long, we tend to call each other by our in-game names just in normal conversation, haha. Plus he doesn't like his real name but won't change it.”

_“So your best friend is a guy?”_

“Yeah. Yoosung, what are you getting at? You aren’t jealous of a person you’ve never even met before, are you?”

_“N-no, it isn’t that! I just… didn’t expect you to have a guy as your BEST friend. I don’t know a lot of girls who do. That’s… that’s all.”_

 

The rest of the night was fun, pausing for chats with the RFA and gaming well into the evening. She had teased Yoosung pretty hard in one of those chats, and hearing him sputtering while he responded was really a treat. He must have forgotten she could hear him when she offered to lock him up. By the time another chat popped up at 11pm, Zifeara had just logged off and said goodnight to her friend. She rolled her eyes to see that Yoosung had started the chat himself, but she logged on anyway. Oh Hell.

They talked about wanting pizza and Yoosung’s coffee club, culminating in inviting the Barista Association to the party. At least her blonde paladin provided interesting guests. And then he did it again. It was a little thing she noticed while they were gaming and she’d said something that particularly tickled him because they had to run from their battle due to him laughing too hard.

 

_Yoosung★: I’ll make sure to tell you if my coffee turns out good!_

_Yoosung★: I’m still learning how to do it properly… ^^_

_Yoosung★: But I really want to make you a cup one day._

_Aww, thanks, hun. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: No need._

_Yoosung★: **I’m happy if you’re happy.**_

 

That. That right there. He was always cute, but this time… she felt her heart skip. This wasn’t really a thing, right? She was imagining this for sure. Earlier she had been laughing too hard, that was all. And now…

He logged off just as Zen was coming in and of course started in on Yoosung for his gaming habit. He said he was logging off to game, but Zifeara knew better. He had just told her that he was logging off the game for a snack. Yoosung just didn’t want to deal with Zen. That was fair. Zen posted a picture of him on his motorcycle, and she got a short lesson on how Zen knew V. And then once she informed Zen she had picky taste in looks when it came to guys, he made it very clear he was looking for her approval. Oh god. Zen was nice, but geez was he overbearing. Why couldn’t he be chill like…

Oh. WAS this a thing?! She had to scroll up in the chat since she’d stopped paying attention to Zen for a minute and approved his modeling agency as a guest. He said his goodnight and popped off, leaving Zifeara to think. Well, it would have if her phone didn’t literally yell at her. She had set Yoosung’s text tone as the cry his character made when using one of his skills in LOLOL.

 

**To Zifeara**

**OH RIGHT! You said you had something for me? I forgot because I was having fun playing with you ^^**

 

Oh crumbs, that’s right, she had to send Yoosung his picture! Clicking around on her computer, she sent off the email and text him back.

 

**From Zifeara**

**Yes! I almost forgot too… At least there’s a whole brain between the two of us… Enjoy ^^**

 

She was kind of worried when she didn’t get so much as a text back for almost a whole half hour. Did he not like it?

 

***

 

Yoosung’s phone called, the dragon roar signaling he’d received Zifeara’s response and probably email. He did indeed have one new email and opening it up on his computer, he clicked on its attachment. The longer he stared at the picture in front of him, the less certain he was of his emotional wellbeing.

There stood paladin Superman Yoosung, grinning from ear to ear, just as he was in the picture he used for his RFA messenger profile. He was decked out in his favorite set of LOLOL armor; the set he and Zifeara had worked for three days straight to get him. All of it was colored and shaded just as if he were a character in the actual game. Just like how they looked in the limited edition species guide that was a preorder exclusive for the Halloween DLC last year. A guide he knew Zifeara had.

He didn’t realize he was starting to cry until the first tear hit his hand. Yoosung had never been given such a heartfelt gift from someone he wasn’t related to, much the less when there was no holiday that mandated gifts. Zifeara had taken time out of her work schedule to draw this. For him. Because she wanted to. He became painfully aware of just how long he’d been staring at this and hadn’t even said a word to her. He dialed her number with lightning speed.

 

_“He-hey. Do, um, do you like it? I had literally the worst time with your hair, so I’m sorry if it’s a bit off there…”_

“Zifeara, are you kidding me?”

 

He couldn’t hide the quiver in his voice. He was getting emotional again at hearing her think any part of what she’d made wasn’t perfection. Yoosung was getting this thing printed out and FRAMED.

 

_“Ugh, I knew I should have spent more time trying to-”_

“No, shut up. This is… This is the best thing anyone has ever given me, much the less MADE for me. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am! Re-really, I love it. It’s completely amazing. I could ki-”

 

He slapped a hand over his mouth. Do NOT tell her you want to kiss her right now. Don’t. You. Dare. She was deafeningly quiet on the other end. She had heard that. Shit.

 

***

 

That really caught Zifeara off guard. Out of reflex, she brought the tips of her fingers to her lips as she heard what was clearly Yoosung slapping himself. That feeling was back. That feeling she didn’t get just from embarrassing guys by being an obnoxious vixen. Crap. She might have a crush on Yoosung. She started laughing originally because of that nervous realization, but it quickly became due to the fact that she was sure they were both making the same face in that one moment.

 

_“D-don’t laugh, I- I- I mean it, Zifeara! This was really nice of you…”_

“Ha… I’m glad you like it. Seriously, though, your hair is a pain in the ass. It’s so… fluffy.”

_“Y-yeah… Um… I’ll give it a talking to, hehe. I really owe you, though. Seriously, a-anything you want, it’s yours. Just...ask.”_

 

Zifeara thought about it for a moment. She knew what the first thing that popped into her mind was, but was that what she really wanted?

 

“Um… well… Promise me that pizza we were talking about earlier?”

 

He made that really cute noise again. The same one he did over voice chat when he forgot she could hear him just fine. She could only define it as a weird cross between a whimper and a sigh. Nervous, flustered, and a little excited; all these things in one sound a grown man shouldn’t be able to make. She was really starting to like that sound. Yoosung’s voice was almost a whisper.

 

_“S-s-sure. I can do that… Pro-promise.”_

“I don’t know when I’ll see you because of the party and whatnot, but whenever that is, I’ll hold you to it. I’m going to go to bed so that I can knock out hopefully all my commissions tomorrow, ok?”

_“Yeah, sure. Of course. Zifeara?”_

“Yeah, Yoosung?”

_“Don’t… No one gets to take you out after the party until I’ve kept my promise, ok?”_

“Haha. Deal. Goodnight, brave paladin Yoosung.”

 

***

 

Yoosung couldn’t sleep. He had really tried even though he once again didn’t have school in the morning, but after everything that had happened today, sleep decided it didn’t need to make an appearance. He didn’t feel like playing LOLOL for once either, since he had been on for so long with Zifeara earlier. His mind was racing and he was planning on where he could go to get his new picture printed and a nice frame for it. He might as well be awake awake if he wasn’t getting real sleep. He started up some coffee brewing so he could practice his newfound skill. Yoosung wanted to get good at this before he invited Zifeara over. Zifeara said she also liked Bokemon, which did have around here somewhere. He hadn’t played in forever, so he started up a new game while he waited for his coffee.

He had gotten past most of the initial cutscene when his phone gave the familiar ping of his friends being awake. They could wait a minute for him, his coffee would over steep if he left it too long. Logging in to the chat once settled back in, coffee in hand Yoosung realized he had very bad timing.

 

_Yoosung has entered the chatroom_

 

_Zifeara: Omg. He really came._

_707: heya_

_Hmm? :Yoosung★_

_I smell a trap somewhere… :Yoosung★_

_707: What were u doing?_

_707: So late at night lol_

_I was just about to drink a cup of coffee and play games. :Yoosung★_

_I started learning how to brew coffee from a club on campus. :Yoosung★_

_707: Coffee…? Ur learning how to make coffee…???_

_Yup ^^ :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: It looked pretty good too._

_707: No way. U can’t._

_What? :Yoosung★_

_707: Did you already drink the coffee!?!?!?!?_

_Yeah… Why? :Yoosung★_

_707: **Big trouble…**_

_What trouble? :Yoosung★_

_707: It’s…_

_Zifeara: Seven, what are you on about?_

_Yeah, what is it? :Yoosung★_

_707: It’s…_

_707: So, I check the health reports of all the members…_

_Okay… Ur not saying that I can’t dringak coffxee, r u? :Yoosung★_

_*drink coffee :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Seven’s just messing around. He’s bored._

_Right? lolol :Yoosung★_

_707: **Not joking.**_

_707: I’m dead serious._

_Zifeara: Uhuh, sure you are._

_Zifeara: And I’m Mary, Queen of Scots._

_707: **U can never ever!!! Drink coffee.**_

_707: **If u do, ur hands will start shaking and u’ll faint eventually.**_

_Nah. I don’t have that kind of allergy. :Yoosung★_

_No way~ :Yoosung★_

_707: …_

_707: I’m sorry._

_707: U’ve already lost trust in me so u r not listening._

_Zifeara: Oh gee, I wonder why that would be, **Luciel.**_

_Yoosung★: ? For real?_

_707: **Ur gonna faint. For real.**_

_Seriously?? Ur kidding right? :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: I think fainting is a bit much, Seven._

_What? What do you mean? :Yoosung★_

_707: Shh._

_707: Listen carefully._

_707: **You are going to faint today.**_

_707: And there’s a chance you might never wake up again…_

_Why!? :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: **Luciel!**  _

_707: You have the “Pass Out After Drinking Caffeine Syndrome”_

_??? What is that? :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Oh for…_

_I don’t understand what you mean. :Yoosung★_

_A disease like that actually exists?! :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: No, it doesn’t. Whoever named it is a bit…_

_707: **It was made up at the last min so no choice.**_

_Zifeara: Mmm, I bet it was._

_What do u mean made up at the last min?! :Yoosung★_

_Seven, ur joking, right? :Yoosung★_

_707: I am doing whatever I can to save u._

_707: ...Don’t get so surprised._

_Ok… :Yoosung★_

_707: The disease called “Pass Out After Drinking Caffeine Syndrome”_

_707:_ **_It exists for sure._ **

_707: I look at foreign reports every day_

_!!! :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: **Oh my god, shut the Hell up, Luciel.**_

_Zifeara: And what in the world is wrong with the name?_

_lol I know… It is funny T_T :Yoosung★_

_But I can’t believe I have it. :Yoosung★_

_What’s going to happen to me T_T :Yoosung★_

_Am I going to faint soon??? :Yoosung★_

_You know what, I give up. :Zifeara_

_707: According to my data u’ll faint sometime between 9 and 10._

_T_T… :Yoosung★_

_I guess it could have been worse. I don’t have class in the morning. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: A stroke of good luck in this misfortune._

_I should at least pass out at home T_T :Yoosung★_

_707: ya_

_Thanks for telling me Seven. :Yoosung★_

_707: lol It’s nothing._

_Zifeara: Call Seven if something happens._

_707: Ya. I’ll always be here for u ^^_

_Thank you T_T :Yoosung★_

_707: Oh. I recommend drinking chocolate milk before u faint._

_707: U have to increase ur blood pressure if u want to wake up faster._

_707: I’m worried… T_T_

_Okay… Thank you. Zifeara you too… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Oh yeah. Sure. Of course._

_I know it’s upsetting, but are you ok? You seem… :Yoosung★_

_707: ...I’m glad to be of help._

_707: Ur young, so u’ll wake up quickly if you do faint, so don’t worry too much._

_Okay… I shouldn’t drink coffee anymore . :Yoosung★_

_707: Oh… I got work again._

_Both Jumin and u :Yoosung★_

_u guys r buried with work :Yoosung★_

_707: Can’t do anything about it… I’ll get going._

_Yup! Have a good night!! :Yoosung★_

_707: lol Then bye~_

 

_707 has left the chatroom_

 

 _T_T_ _What am I gonna do… Zifeara… :Yoosung★_

_If I faint and don’t wake up… :Yoosung★_

_Can u wake me up with a… a… a kiss? :Yoosung★_

_I’m not trying to be weird. I just want to wake up and help open the party… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Yoosung, sweetie, can I ask you something?_

_Of course, I may never get a chance to answer you again… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Are you an idiot, love?_

_Look, I know ur probably worried too and don’t want to believe what he said. :Yoosung★_

_But Seven’s probably right. He’s really knowledgeable. :Yoosung★_

_He once knew when my cold would get better. :Yoosung★_

_He said it’d be between the 3rd and 7th day and it completely went away on the 5th. :Yoosung★_

_Look at that image above… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Yeah, did you actually read it at all?_

_I’m sure it’s not a lie. :Yoosung★_

_First I should get some chocolate milk… :Yoosung★_

_I’m gonna go to the supermarket~! :Yoosung★_

 

_Yoosung★ has left the chatroom_

 

It was cold outside, so he rummaged around in his closet for a thicker jacket. He hadn’t even put it on when his phone started ringing. Zifeara must want to hear his voice one last time…

 

_“Yoosung, I’m sure you’re standing up in your room right now, probably about to put your shoes on. Go sit back down.”_

“But Zifeara, you read what Seven said! I have to-”

_“Sit. Down.”_

 

She sounded so irritated he actually did.

 

_“First of all, wow. Just wow. Secondly, did you actually read more than two lines of that page?”_

“Well, no… Seven is really smart, so…”

_“Ok. In the third and seventh lines, there is a string of binary that literally translates to the numbers seven. Zero. Seven. Sound familiar?”_

“Is… Is there really?

_“The third paragraph of it is about a cow eating coffee beans and passing out after three seconds.”_

 

Yoosung could feel the heat creeping up his face and the pit settling in his stomach. She must think he’s the world’s dumbest human being on the planet. To be fair, he may be pretty up there right now.

 

_“And the cou de gras is the fact that the line one up from the bottom literally says and I quote, ‘I am just writing random BS to mock Yoosung’. Do you know how fast Seven types?”_

“I… Um, no. I don’t. Zifeara… Oh god, I’m so embarrassed. This is a pretty normal thing for him to do… I’m sure this is the stupidest thing you’ve ever seen…”

_“Well, maybe not the stupidest. There was that time when we were kids and Fang found out the hard way that I know what I’m talking about when it comes to insects. And that hornets are much angrier than bees.”_

 

That got him to laugh a little, but he knew there would be no living this down.

 

_“I chock it up to you being male. Also, let’s think about this scientifically. You’ve had coffee before right now, right?”_

“Yeah, of course I… have… Oh.”

_“Yeah, there you go. Plus ‘caffeine’ is the name of the ‘syndrome’, not coffee. Meaning if you really did have anything, not just coffee would have set it off. Soda, energy drinks, certain foods.”_

“You’re right of course. I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention in chat… You were just trying to warn me.”

_“Eh, now you know to listen to me once in awhile, yeah? Haha, the next time we play LOLOL, I’m letting you get eaten by trolls.”_

 

They laughed and made a little more small talk before he said goodnight. Mortifying as that was, Zifeara had still managed to make him feel not so bad about it. Seven was in for some serious shit tomorrow, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I refuse to believe I would have let Yoosung go through with being that stressed out about something so stupid. I'm sorry, but I'm talking him down out of this one!


	6. Poor Poor Zen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Zifeara learns she really doesn't like Jaehee and Zen is going to need some ice for his burns. NO ONE trashes Yoosung on Zifeara's watch.
> 
> Warning: largest divergence from cannon to date!

Zifeara woke up pretty early for how much sleep she didn’t get last night. Luckily when she went to get get herself food for the next week or so, she had picked up some energy drinks since she was trying to finish a week’s worth of work in a few days. She wanted to get these commissions out of the way so she could relax for a little while with all this RFA nonsense. Grabbing a can of liquid speed, she settled at the desk to watch some videos while she let the poison do its work. She wasn’t very far when the phone told her there was already excitement this morning.

 

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

_V has entered the chatroom_

 

_V, you’re online. I’m a little surprised. :Zifeara_

_V: Yes. I hope you’ve been well._

_V: I see I’ve come at an awkward time._

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

 

_Eh, we’ve just had some fun lately. :Zifeara_

_V: I came to announce the party schedule._

_V: I am sorry my reply is late. It must have been uncomfortable for you._

_No, I’m fine. Thanks, though. :Zifeara_

_V: Yoosung is online as well._

_Yoosung★: Yeah… So you decided to hold the party?_

_V: Yes. I’ve been keeping my eye out the past couple of days…_

_V:_ _And I think Zifeara is safe._

_V: Luciel built a security system just in case something happens._

_Yoosung★: Seven said… he was locked in at work;;_

_Yoosung★: Did you do it by any chance?_

_V: Luciel said that? That’s… a pity._

_V: It’s probably because he had multiple projects at the same time and had to hurry up and finish one._

_V: I actually discussed with Luciel the earliest date we could hold the party._

_Yeah? What do you think? :Zifeara_

_V: It may feel a bit too soon, but I think it would be best to hold it in a week._

_Yoosung★: A week!?_

_What do you think, Yoosung? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★:_ **_I don’t really think it’s a good idea._ **

_Yoosung★: We might not be able to gather a lot of people if it’s in a week._

_V: I plan to have a simpler party this time._

_Yoosung★: Shouldn’t you have asked for our opinion before deciding that?_

_V: Considering the situation… the party must be held a week from now._

_We have a situation? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Yeah, what situation?_

_V: It’s the first party Zifeara is going to hold._

_V: I thought she might be too burdened if the party becomes too grand._

_Not going to lie, this hasn’t exactly been hard… :Zifeara_

_I don’t feel burdened. :Zifeara_

_V: But still, it is dangerous to have the party too big from the beginning._

_V: I think it will be better to expand it gradually._

_Yoosung★: …_

_V: There are members who still have good relationships with prior guests so things will be carried out fast._

_V: If Zifeara handles the work well then I think there won’t be a problem with holding the party next week._

_Then I guess we better hurry up and gather more guests. :Zifeara_

_V: Everyone will work together to gather guests._

_V: Since we do not have much time, I hope you don’t go too overboard._

_I suppose that depends on how you define overboard. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Holding a party in a week… It feels impossible._

_Yoosung★: If we were going to hold the party in a week, we could have had 60 parties in the last year and a half._

 

Zifeara knew Yoosung was smart. He did that math in no time flat. Holding the party in a week… That wouldn’t be too bad, would it? All she had been doing was answering emails from people who were interested. Hell, she’d been spending 99% of her time here doing her real job as opposed to the RFA job.

 

_V: You know that we couldn’t hold the party because Rika is not here._

_Yoosung★: We could have done it without her._

_Yoosung★:_ **_If only you took her place._ **

_V: I… can’t replace Rika._

_Yoosung★: I think that you would have been able to do it. You’re the one who created the RFA with Rika._

_Yoosung★: But ever since she passed away, you haven’t done anything for the organization._

_Yoosung★: Other than suddenly appearing like this and telling us your decisions._

 

Uhoh. Yoosung was starting to go on one of those angry tangents. She was beginning to notice this happened literally any time V was brought up, even under the best of circumstances. He was going to need to be talked down after this, Zifeara could feel it. So much for work this morning.

 

_Yoosung★:_ **_I feel like you are trying to avoid the organization’s work and traces of her._ **

_V: You are misunderstanding me._

_Yoosung, settle down. V might have his own reasons for that. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: ...Okay._

_Yoosung★:  You’re right. I was a bit worked up._

_Yoosung★: Thank you for pointing it out._

_V: I’m sorry… that I was that way._

_Yoosung★: That’s not what I wanted to hear._

_Yoosung★:_ **_I just feel like you’re trying to run away._ **

_V: That’s not true._

_Yoosung★:_ **_From Rika._ **

_Easy, Yoosung. You have a point, but that’s not an easy conversation. :Zifeara_

_V: It is not that I don’t acknowledge what Yoosung is saying._

_V: I understand that he does not trust me._

 

Yoosung had a miniature meltdown. Apparently he and V didn’t talk to each other very often because the waterfall of accusations started flowing freely and even Seven got caught up in this. Zifeara chose to stay back and watch as they discussed the RFA’s classified information in as little detail as physically possible. Once V declared he had to leave and did, she swore she could hear the sizzling noise the steam coming off Yoosung’s head was making.

 

_Hey, at least we can still hold the party. It may be sooner than expected, but… :Zifeara_

_That means I’ll see you in a week right? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Yes… You’re right, as per usual._

_Yoosung★: Sorry. I was too emotional._

_Yoosung★: It’s been more than a year and a half since I’ve even heard his voice._

_Yoosung★: He should feel like a stranger at this point, but that’s not the case…_

_Yoosung★: ...But I’m sure Rika will be happy about this decision up there._

_Yoosung★: But I don’t know how we’ll manage to hold the party in a week…_

_Yoosung★: I’m worried it might get too difficult for you._

_Hey, it’ll be fine. It takes no less than a level 200 Shoggoth to even daunt me :Zifeara_

_much the less if I have the RFA guild. We’ll all try hard together. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Haha, thank you for saying that._

_Yoosung★:  I still don’t like V… but I feel healed thanks to you._

_Well, I am a combat mage. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I’m sorry for being such a child, Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I’m… a bit embarrassed, so I’ll leave._

 

_Yoosung has left the chatroom_

 

She was going to have to call him later and make sure he was ok. If anything, Zifeara knew from his LOLOL fits that Yoosung needed to cool off for a second before being approached when he was upset. Unless you wanted to get war hammered into the ground. Work it was then. Art didn’t care what kind of mood you were in unless you wanted to draw hands. Then you could fuck off. She had just booted the art program on the computer up when the sound of combat music violently broke the peaceful silence of the room. It was clearly a mistake to set that as Yoosung’s ringtone and she’d have to fix that later.

 

“Yoosung? What’s up, are you ok? Usually when you start to rage you don’t want to talk to any of us.”

 

_“Oh, I called because I got worried. It’s good that we have a date set, but we only have a week…? V is being so unreasonable. How can he expect you to do that? I’m sure you feel a lot of pressure right now… Are you ok?”_

 

“Well, honestly having you here has been a bit of a blessing. If I didn’t know you before coming into all of this, I would have felt a lot more overwhelmed but… you were my stress relief before this happened anyway. It feels kind of nice to have you worrying over me, haha.”

 

_“Hehe, you’re the one making me feel good by saying that. You seem like such a warm person.”_

 

“Well, dragons do tend to be pretty hot considering. I chose my name for a reason, you know~”

 

Yoosung laughed and then was… quiet. He really wanted to say something, but he was picking his words carefully. He’d done this a few times over voice chat too, enough that Zifeara knew to be patient.

 

_“You know… I’d like to call you whenever I have time and ask if you need anything… Is that okay?”_

 

“Of course it is. I mean, try not to call at a stupid hour of morning unless you know I’m up, but I like talking to you.”

 

_“Yay, I have permission! Heehee… I don’t know if it’s because I’m a guy and you’re a girl, but I get excited whenever I talk to you on the phone. I shouldn’t really think like this… but since I don’t know what you look like, you feel more mysterious and mystical, haha. I feel like I’m being so chatty right now. I hope I haven’t wasted your time or anything.”_

 

“Hahaha, no, you haven’t. As for being mysterious, I don’t know. Technically, you know me better than the rest of the RFA. Seven only knows facts and has pictures, but you actually know me know me. I guess it is kind of exciting. What are you doing for the rest of the day?”

 

_“Well, to calm down a little after the V thing, I was going to do some cooking. I was just about to go out and get some groceries. I do really like to cook even though I’m not that good at it yet… I can make a few things though. I… I want to cook for you once the party is done.”_

 

“Mmmm, I’d like that. I suck at cooking, but I am pretty good at baking, so if you make dinner, I can do dessert! Man, we are going to have the best sleepovers when all this party nonsense is done!”

 

_“S-s-sl-sleepovers?! I, uh, I don’t… is that okay to do? I mean, you are a girl…”_

 

“Well, yeah Yoosung. We’re adults, we can do whatever we want. Besides, I doubt between the two of us we’d be doing much sleeping anyway.”

 

Zifeara realized with a little too much glee what she had just done when Yoosung made that cute little noise again. She hadn’t meant it that way, but this was where the conversation was going and she was now all in.

 

“Oh? Sounds like you had something besides videogames on your mind just then. What did you think I meant, hmm~?”

 

Zifeara laughed hard enough to make her snort once or twice when she heard him hang up. He didn’t even have a response for that. She was surprised he took THAT the wrong way, but was oblivious when Zen was talking about being an Adult™. Poor thing couldn’t make up his mind about how innocent he really was. Ah well. Maybe now Zifeara could get something done this morning.

 

***

 

Pancakes were easy, right? How do you ruin pancakes? You ruin them by being a blonde nerd named Yoosung, apparently. He didn’t even know where he went wrong. One minute the pancakes were cool and chill and everything looked ok, the next they were very nearly literally on fire. He really hoped pancakes weren’t Zifeara’s favorite. Ok, maybe he should avoid anything that even almost resembled baking. Nothing with cake in the name. Pasta. Pasta was his friend. He could do pasta.

 

Pasta was brain food. While eating, he went to turn his computer on, but stopped. He could play LOLOL but… Yoosung glanced at all of his books. He had a test coming up. He had done poorly on his midterms. If he worked really hard right now, he could still get good grades. He could pass his classes. Not amazingly, but he could do it without repeating any of them. Then the strangest thought occurred to him. Zen was his biggest competitor for Zifeara’s affection. Even though she had trashed him a few chats ago, that was the only time she had been short with the actor. She was going to meet them both in a week. Once she saw Zen, she’d be a gonner. Unless… He couldn’t compete with Zen’s looks or charm, but what if he were smarter than Zen? Zifeara always brought up random facts in conversation and seemed to be pretty knowledgeable when it came to science, so if he could hold an intelligent conversation with her when Zen couldn’t…

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

 

_Jaehee Kang: Is Luciel here?_

_Jaehee Kang: He could come here and play with the cat for a while or how about just taking it and keeping it temporarily?_

_Zifeara: Hey, Yoosung. As you can see, we have a CATastrophe._

_Jaehee Kang:_ **_Please don’t._ **

_Zifeara ^^ I’m here. :Yoosung★_

_Jaehee Kang: I haven’t seen Seven in this chatroom recently._

_Seven doesn’t log in very often. :Yoosung★_

**_He might be meeting with V and planning something in secret…! :_ ** _Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Yoosung, come on. Trust him a bit more. He is important to the RFA._

_Jaehee Kang: Zifeara has a point._

_Jaehee Kang: If you do not trust the decision maker in this organization you will not feel happy even if you remain in the group._

_I’ll try to do that… :Yoosung★_

_Really… What the hell is Seven doing? :Yoosung★_

**_I still haven’t gotten back at him about the coffee thing!_ ** _:Yoosung★_

_Oh right. I… have shocking news! :Yoosung★_

_Guess what it is! :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: You’ve decided to quit gaming for a bit and focus on studying?_

**_I did._ ** _:Yoosung★_

_Jaehee Kang: !?_

_I quit LOLOL. :Yoosung★_

_Man, you must actually be a wizard, Zifeara! How did you know? :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: I had a hunch when I logged on for a minute to order my guild around and you weren’t in._

_Zifeara: I’m pleasantly surprised ^^_

_I know right? Lolol I want to raise my TOEIC scores before my finals. :Yoosung★_

_I was surprised myself. :Yoosung★_

_I thought to myself that I have to quit and I just did it. :Yoosung★_

_Jaehee Kang: That is a bit surprising._

_To be honest, out of everyone in this organization… I think I’m the most normal one. :Yoosung★_

_Besides Zifeara, of course. :Yoosung★_

_I want to build up my resume…! :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Look at you becoming a real adult!_

_Jaehee Kang: It is too early to feel relief._

_Jaehee Kang: You cannot think lightly of game withdrawal symptoms._

_I am not affected by things like that! :Yoosung★_

_Jaehee Kang: We’ll see._

 

Jaehee proceeded to be a huge downer for the rest of their conversation. For once, Zifeara wasn’t making him feel much better, but man was Jaehee ever ruining the good feeling he had right now. It was clear both were trying to provide him with good advice, but at the same time, they were telling him it wasn’t as easy as he was making it out to be. While Zifeara did encourage his studying and approve a guest to the party, she continued to side with Jaehee. Their serious tone didn’t discourage him from following through, though. This was still a good idea. He would work so hard that Zifeara would have to be proud of him. Then maybe she’d date him…

 

Buried in books, papers and snacks, Yoosung almost didn’t pick up his phone that afternoon when he heard a new chat come up. Almost. He was glad he did. Zen was back at it going on about how handsome he was. And Zifeara was playing along. Maybe…

 

_Zen: I’m good looking. What can I do? lol_

_Since we’re talking about looks. :Yoosung★_

_I look at least ok, right? :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Of course you do, Yoosung. You’re super cute!_

 

Victory! Cute was not exactly the word he wanted, but if he could get Zifeara to fawn over him even a _fraction_ of how hard Jaehee fawned over Zen, this could mean something. Maybe if he pressed it, he could find out more without directly asking… He could mask his intentions with whining to Zen… hehe.

 

_Haha, thanks~! :Yoosung★_

_Zen: You don’t look so bad._

_Then why can’t I get a girlfriend? :Yoosung★_

_Is there something wrong with me? :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara, do you know what it is!? :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: You play games just a little too much. If you actually study, it’ll happen._

_Then since I quit, I’ll get one now! Hooray! :Yoosung★_

_Zen: Hooray;;_

 

_Jaehee Kang has entered the chatroom_

 

_Zen: I think you’ll look more manly if you dress better._

_Jaehee Kang: 1. Because you’re short._

_Zen: lmaoooo Jaehee, that’s the first thing you want to say? lol_

_Zifeara: Hey, short guys are just as cute._

_Zifeara: They have their own perks~_

_Zen: Oh~_

_Oh… My heart just jumped! :Yoosung★_

_So I have hope too? :Yoosung★_

 

Yes, yes, yes! Jaehee might still be mean, but this was exactly what Yoosung was hoping for. Zifeara’s reactions were everything to him right now. This was more than just defending him from Zen, this was her honest opinion. This would help him determine if he actually had a shot with her...

 

_Jaehee Kang: 2. No, because you spend too much time playing LOLOL_

_Zen: Yup. No more games_

_I quit~! :Yoosung★_

_Jaehee Kang: 3. You are not wild enough._

_Zen: Yup._

_!? :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Are you kidding me? How is that even a reason? That’s super subjective._

_Zifeara: Jaehee, I swear to god if you are modeling all this after Zen…_

_Right? :Yoosung★_

_Zen: Well I am the paragon of manliness._

_Zen, shut it. Again, subjective._

_Zen: Yes ma’am~_

_Zen: But Yoosung is about as tame as they come._

_Being gentle is a charm on its own~! :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Damn right it is. That’s harder to do than let yourself be wild._

_Jaehee Kang: 4. Please throw away your hoodie._

_Zen: Uhm.. That’s…;;_

_;; I can’t throw away my hoodie! It’s like my second skin! :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Alright, that’s where I draw the line._

_Zifeara: Hoodies are amazing, comfortable, and Yoosung’s is cute._

_Zifeara: Heck off, Jaehee._

_Haha! See. :Yoosung★_

_I’m just not your type, Jaehee. :Yoosung★_

_Jaehee Kang: Here is a good example._

_Omg :Yoosung★_

_Zen: It’s a photo of me; Why is it framed?_

_Zifeara:_ **_Oh I wonder._ **

_Zen: I don’t know whose it is but she must really like me lol_

 

Yoosung got a text. It was a dragon roaring, so Zifeara specifically chose not to share whatever this was in chat for either Jaehee or Zen’s sake. Or both, as it turned out.

 

**From Zifeara**

**fbfdsbfifbif IS ZEN FUCKING RETARDED?! IS THIS A THING HE DOES JUST SHOOT ME NOW.**

 

Yoosung laughed way harder than he should have while writing his response through a light layer of tears.

 

**To Zifeara**

**This is a regular occurrence, I’m afraid. XD**

 

_Zifeara: No wonder you’re so subjective, Jaehee ;_

_Zen: So… you don’t like my photo?_

_Zifeara: I wouldn’t say that, you do look rather dapper._

_Zifeara: You’re just failing to face the fact that_

_Zifeara: You_

_Zifeara: Aren’t_

_Zifeara: My_

_Zifeara: Type_

_Zifeara: Zen_

_Zen: Ouch._

_Zen: I respect a lady that can hold her ground and be honest, though._

_Jaehee: Hmph. Matter of taste._

_HAHAHAHAHAHA :Yoosung★_

 

As far as Yoosung was concerned, Christmas had come early. No one talked to Zen like that. Ever. Especially not in front of Jaehee. Let’s be honest, Zifeara could be a cave troll and he’d still be just as in love with her at this point. While Jaehee attempted to fix Zen’s broken ego, he and Zifeara basically cyber fist-bumped and left the chat. Yoosung could have died happy right now. He might have if he hadn’t owed Zifeara pizza.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, let's just say I hated Jaehee for two straight routes. I feel bad for her, but I didn't like her till Seven's route. In other news, that last conversation is where I would have slapped Zen had he been in front of me. He tries so hard, even outside of his route...


	7. Effective Bribery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter in which Zifeara virtually flips off Jaehee and Zen and Yoosung grows a pair?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a song for you [here](https://youtu.be/L_8j_4IdKoM) for the chapter in general! :)

Zifeara was lowkey pissed. She had thought having another girl in the RFA would be fun, but Jaehee was proving to be obnoxious. This was what unhealthy obsession looked like. It looked like the way Jaehee looked at Zen. She was coming just so shy of physically blowing him and she still had the gaul to rag on every aspect of how Yoosung looked just because he wasn’t exactly Adonis. No wonder that poor boy had self confidence issues pouring out of him. Jaehee didn’t do this to Seven. This must be why he didn’t visit the chatroom very often besides work.

 

Zifeara couldn’t lie to herself after that. She liked Yoosung. A lot. Enough that she was considering tripping Jaehee when they finally met as a act of revenge. Her golden guppy was just trying to sort his life out for five seconds and try to do literally anything different and all the wicked witch of C&R was doing was holding him to a standard he didn’t need to achieve. She’d given good advice earlier, but she was now blinded by Zen. Yeah, Zen was flippantly attractive. Zen was just shy of Zifeara’s type in all reality, but she’d eat a cow whole by unhinging her jaw like a goddamn python before she’d let anyone know that now.

 

She seethed and funneled all of that energy into her work. Art always came out better when fueled by a strong emotion. Not to mention how much of that energy she had when she was just trying to talk to Seven hours later and Jaehee was STILL on about Zen. She even had the nerve to ask Zifeara if she had a thing for the guy she had told to shove it _two hours ago._ Siding with Seven every step of the way, she felt he was the only thing saving her from rage quitting the chat. Seven was hilarious, made the most obscure references, and despite him picking on Yoosung, she really was fond of the redheaded menace.

 

Once she was just wrapping up her last piece, she resisted the urge to throw her phone across the room when she heard the chatroom ding. She was glad she didn’t though; it was Yoosung.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

 

_Hey, Yoosung! It’s a good evening. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Good evening!!_

_Yoosung★: I haven’t played LOLOL this afternoon and I feel very refreshed._

_Yoosung★: My dark circles are gone ^^_

_Yoosung★: From the coffee club to studying for TOEIC._

_Yoosung★: My life has turned upside down in a single day._

 

_Jaehee Kang has entered the chatroom_

 

_Sigh. :Zifeara_

 

_Zen has entered the chatroom_

 

**_Oh, come on._ ** _:Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: lolol_

_Zen: lol Yoosung, do you really think you can quit overnight?_

_If he really wants to, he will. Besides, he doesn’t have to 100% quit. :Zifeara_

_It’s called a hiatus. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Thank you! Someone gets it._

_Zen: lolol we’ll see_

_Jaehee Kang: We’ll see._

_It’s crowded in here~ :Zifeara_

_Jaehee Kang: Yes it is._

_Zen: Yoosung… It’ll all be different if you log in tonight ^^_

_Jaehee Kang: How can you say that when he just decided to quit games…_

_Jaehee Kang:_ **_Since he won’t have a girlfriend anyways,_ **

_Jaehee Kang:_ **_won’t it be better for him to play games?_ **

_Do you people think girlfriends are magically summoned from the sky? Stop teasing him. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Yeah T_T_

_Zen: It’s fun teasing Yoosung._

_Fair, but there’s a difference between lighthearted teasing and being a dick. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Zi-Zifeara!?_

_Jaehee Kang: I am not teasing._

_Yoosung★: Omg. You two are so mean!_

_Yoosung★: Don’t pull Zifeara into it too._

_Yoosung★:_ **_Zifeara, I’m leaving and I’m not saying goodbye to Jaehee or Zen. Hmph._ **

_Yoosung★: You, on the other hand, I will talk to later~!_

 

_Yoosung★ has left the chatroom_

 

_Jaehee Kang: Do you think Yoosung will really change?_

_Yes. Yes I do. :Zifeara_

_Zen: No way that’s gonna happen lol_

_Jaehee Kang: I’m only flustered that he’s changed so much in half a day._

_Zen: lol I agree._

_Zen: It’s so cute to see Yoosung get angry._

_Jaehee Kang: I don’t know if he’s cute, but I did feel a bit of pleasure._

_Like I said, there’s a difference between nice teasing, and mean teasing. :Zifeara_

_I like to tease him when it doesn’t crush his self confidence~ :Zifeara_

_Unlike_ **_some people_ ** _around here. :Zifeara_

 

The rest of the conversation she paid minimal attention to. She was so close to being able to relax. She approved a guest, pretended to care about Jaehee being stuck with Karma, I mean Elizabeth the 3rd, and finally logged out. Now she was starting to see why everyone was worried about her having too much to handle before the party. It was because the RFA was an insane asylum. Just finish this picture. Clean it up, and it was freedom.

 

***

 

At least this place had the nicest bathtub Zifeara had ever seen. It was so big, she could have fit two and a half of herself in it. While she was in relaxing, V had shown up. Throughout the course of their conversation, she determined that she did like V, but he was definitely not telling everyone something. He seemed like the kind of guy who did what he did for the benefit of others, even though it may not be the best idea. She hoped she wasn’t wrong, but everyone in the RFA trusted him besides Yoosung, so she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Once he was gone, she decided to do a little experiment.

 

**From Zifeara**

**Hey. Heeeeey. I’m finally finished with all my work. I’m bored.**

 

She sent the text and waited, carefully counting in her head. 56 seconds and her phone gave it’s battle cry. Yoosung was fast.

 

**To Zifeara**

**Yeah? If you’re done with work, then what are you doing?**

 

**From Zifeara**

**Rika had a really nice bathtub, so I’m pretending to be a fish. Wanna play a game?**

 

This was a much longer pause, 3 minutes 41 seconds, most likely because she had just told him she was naked in a tub and now he was _very_  worried about what kind of game this would be. Especially if she was bored. He had already learned to fear her. Excellent.

 

**To Zifeara**

**Umm… yes?**

 

**From Zifeara**

**Yay! I’m going to ask you a question and you answer it, then you ask me one back. Easy! What’s your favorite color?**

 

Once he knew the game in question was benign, the responses were usually much faster. They went from colors to animals, to what ifs in odd situations before Zifeara decided to turn him on his head again. Not only was she genuinely curious, but making this boy sweat was becoming her new favorite hobby.

 

**From Zifeara**

**We talked about me in the chat where Zen learned he isn’t the center of everyone’s universe, but I have to know. What’s YOUR type, Yoosung? Everybody has one.**

 

This was the longest pause yet. She’d decided to get out and had put pajamas on before she finally got an answer.

 

**To Zifeara**

**Well, honestly, since I’ve never had a girlfriend, I don’t think I really care too much, so long I like who she is. If I had to say based on the last time I saw a girl and thought ‘wow, she’s cute’, she had really light, long blonde hair and stunning blue eyes. To be honest, eyes are probably the most important part, to me. Bright and lively eyes are gorgeous. She had this cute flowery dress on too. She reminded me of the woodland fairies you see in kids books.**

 

She hadn’t been expecting his response to be so long and she definitely didn’t expect it to… hurt. He had just described her polar opposite. Zifeara’s hair was long, sure, but it was about as dark as humanly possible. Tar was jealous of how dark her hair was. Her eyes weren’t too far off from blue, but no one could describe indigo as a light color. The nicest thing anyone had ever said about them had been when Fang described the color to be ‘deep as twilight’, but his she always called blood red, so they clearly had a theme. Zifeara was certainly not a fairy. She was a dragon. Her wardrobe was 70% black at least since it was her favorite color and she liked pairing black pants with bright neon tops.

She tried to focus on the first thing Yoosung had said, about him not caring much, but this was going to nag at her. He hadn’t sent a follow up question either, but that was because he logged into the messenger. Zifeara set up to doodle, nothing in particular this time and when Seven popped in, everything went to Hell. He goaded Yoosung into playing LOLOL tonight. Which was fine, Zifeara knew damn well he wasn’t quitting forever because they played together, and she defended him yet again since he’d been productive all day. All in moderation, right?

 

**To Zifeara**

**Hey, are you ok? You didn’t seem like yourself just now.**

 

Zifeara didn’t get to answer Yoosung since as soon as she picked up her phone, nyan cat started playing and Seven’s face took over her screen. Huh. He almost never called.

 

While they had a lovely conversation and she began laughing, she started drawing a dog. A Shiba Inu. Which she then gave Seven’s glasses. He looked good as a dog. She drew his hair as she and the real 707 laughed about her trying to summon him in front of her. Once he said goodbye, she became wrapped up in drawing the RFA as dogs.

She did Zen next, sketching a beautiful silver Malamute with red eyes and a horrible rat tail, laughing at how silly the dog looked with his hair. She had to think a minute on Jaehee, but ended up killing herself over the French Bulldog with glasses. Frenchies could be pretty chill dogs, but picturing dog Jaehee making that horrible hiss/coughing noise when they panted was doing her in. Zifeara couldn’t resist drawing Zen’s dog again, this time having it strike a pose and drawing the Frenchie Jaehee panting with hearts in her eyes at his feet.

Jumin she thought about a while, settling on a regal looking German Shepherd with Elizabeth on his back, hissing at Zen. She decided to come back to V because he was making her head hurt. That just left Yoosung. Zifeara started with a puppy. The dog took on shape, smaller than the others but still bigger than Jaehee even as a pup. Oh sure, NOW his hair was behaving. It fit perfectly between his droopy ears, hair clips now sporting little bones. Yoosung officially made the cutest Golden Retriever she’d ever seen. She drew him a few more times, playing with stuffed animals, chasing Shiba Seven who had a gaming controller in his mouth, sleeping curled up in a pile of books, angrily barking at Malamute Zen sitting on him because he was so much bigger… She ran out of room on the current document on her tablet.

This had given her an idea. Since she needed to change Yoosung’s ringtone anyway… Zifeara swapped it to a dog happily barking. She started up a new document to draw a portrait of all of them, leaving room for when she decided what V was. Once she had a basic sketch down, she looked at the clock and realized how long she’d been engrossed for. Zifeara should really go to bed.

 

***

 

She was mad at him, wasn’t she? Zifeara hadn’t replied to his question of if she was ok or not. It wasn’t that she was mad about him playing LOLOL after talking about quitting for a while, right? She hadn’t indicated that she was upset in chat. In fact, she defended his actions as per usual, calling attention to the fact that he’d been studying all day. So what did he do?

Yoosung was worried, so he put his headset on and got lost in his guild. Besides talking to her, that was what made him feel better. He spaced out for long enough that when he decided to go to bed so that he wouldn’t be exhausted for his test at school tomorrow, he saw there was a chat that had come and gone. He’d missed Seven and Zifeara talking about the last party. Seven had shown her a picture of all of them. That was even before Yoosung had dyed his hair. That was when Rika was still alive.

Zifeara was still awake. He wanted to call her so badly and ask what was bothering her. She had said on the phone earlier that he could if he knew she was awake, right? If he started talking to her now, though, he’d keep both of them up. He wanted to know what was up with her and Zifeara would surely ask about the last party since she was clearly curious from her conversation with Seven. Yoosung didn’t want to keep her awake so late. He settled for texting her one more time.

 

**To Zifeara**

**I know it’s late, but you didn’t tell me if you were ok or not earlier, so I got kind of worried. If you’re mad at me or something that’s fine, I just can’t help but worry.**

 

The response was almost instantaneous. She called him. Once he had admitted to himself that he liked Zifeara, he had changed her ringtone to part of a [cute song](https://youtu.be/jgsVtIazbo0) he liked from one of his favorite movies. Once he had heard a little of the song, he picked up.

 

“Hey, Zifeara. I’m sorry, it’s late and I bet you’re trying to go to bed after talking to Seven, but…”

 

_“No, it’s ok. I’m so sorry, I meant to reply to your text earlier, but Seven called me as soon as I finished reading it. While I was talking to him I was doodling and I kinda forgot. I’m sorry…”_

 

“No, no, that’s ok. I’m… Haha, honestly I’m glad you aren’t mad at me or anything. I was really worried I’d done something.”

 

Something felt… off. He could almost feel Zifeara tense over the phone. She sounded fine, but it was a gut feeling. Yoosung almost got to ask, but they tried to talk at the same time so he told her to go first.

 

_“If you were awake when I was just talking to Seven, why didn’t you log in to the chat? Is the last party something you don’t really want to talk about?”_

 

“No, I’ve been studying all day because I have a test tomorrow, so I kinda needed to get lost in LOLOL for a little while. I had my headset on and we were doing a huge boss battle when the chat dinged, so I didn’t hear it. I’m nervous about this test, so I was distracting myself.”

 

_“You know… I feel like you’re a very reward-oriented person, Yoosung. Maybe you just need the right motivation to do well. That being said, would you like to make a deal?”_

 

The lead up to that question made Yoosung swallow hard. Whatever she was about to say next was either going to be the best or worst thing ever, and he wasn’t sure which it was. She took his stunned silence to mean yes.

 

_“If you get an A on this test of yours, like send me a picture as proof you’ve done it,  I’ll send you a picture back.”_

 

It’s official, he was broken. He was on fire and couldn’t get his brain to form words. He almost dropped his phone entirely.

 

“L-l-like a, a picture of YOU?!”

 

_“Hahahaha, no a picture of my tablet._ **_Yes_ ** _, a picture of me, you nut! Seven is the only one who knows what I look like, but I don’t see why it has to stay that way. He didn’t tell me I couldn’t do that. Plus… well… nevermind.”_

 

“Wh-what? Plus what?”

 

That ‘nevermind’ sounded dejected. There _was_ something going on with her, he knew it. She was debating so hard whether to tell him or not so he pushed it a little.

 

“Zifeara, come on, you can tell me. I want to know anytime anything is bothering you.”

 

_“You… you know how earlier I asked you what your type was?”_

 

Oh. _That’s_ what was wrong.

 

“I shouldn’t have answered that, should I? D-don’t worry about that, I- I don’t care what you look like, well I mean, I do but, that isn’t important. I. Uhm. Oh no....”

 

_“Haha, it’s ok… I um, I don’t look anything like that. Like at all. So don’t be super surprised if you do get that A.”_

 

“Really, like I said, it doesn’t matter. I haven’t known what you’ve looked like for 4 months through LOLOL and we’re still cool, right? I didn’t even get to hear you till now, so don’t worry about something so silly. It’s not like what I think is important, anyway.”

 

_“Thanks, Yoosung. That makes me feel a bit better, but it’s not true that your opinion doesn’t matter.”_

 

“On something like this it is. As long as you’re happy with yourself, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Besides, it’s definitely past the point of what you look like ruining anything.”

 

That last part he mumbled more than anything, but he knew she still heard him and was really hoping she wouldn’t ask about it. His heart was beating so fast at hearing she cared about what he thought of her, even though he meant what he said. He still didn’t know for 100% certain if her flirting meant anything. He really hoped it did and he wasn't reading this wrong. He thought she liked him too.

 

_“That’s oddly wise and very sweet of you. Don’t worry about it anymore, go to bed so you can get that A.”_

 

“With a prize like that, how can I not? Hehe, goodnight.”

 

His phone roared, making his heart skip. She’d sent him a picture. It wasn’t of her. It was of a drawing of a… dog? The caption was ‘What I do when I’m distracted’. It looked like a Shiba Inu lying on its back, tongue lolling to the side. At first Yoosung just thought it was a good picture, but when he looked closer he realized it had shaggy red hair in between its ears. And familiar glasses. And a small sign next to it that said ‘Will hack for belly rubs.’

 

***

 

Zifeara didn’t sleep for very long before a dream woke her up. She couldn’t remember what it was, but she was pretty sure Yoosung was there. Speaking of, he was on the chat. At this hour, he must be getting ready for school.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

 

_Good_ _morning ^^ :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Good morning, Zifeara~ ^^_

_Getting ready for school? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Yup! Brushing my teeth rn, lol_

_Yoosung★: Did you… see the photo Seven posted?_

_Yoosung★:_ **_I really miss it…_ **

_Yoosung★: It would have been nice if Rika was in the photo too…!_

_Yoosung★: Seeing the picture makes me get excited about the next party ^^_

_From what I hear, you were a giant geek back then. :Zifeara_

_There was a mention of student body president too? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Ya I was._

_Yoosung★:_ **_I ran all around the school convincing people to vote for me, but now it all feels so distant._ **

_Yoosung★: To talk more about my past…_

_Yoosung★: When I was in highschool, I studied really hard and teachers really liked me._

_Yoosung★: I studied hard and ran around so much that I felt like the day was too short._

_Yoosung★: But… now ^^;_

_Yoosung★: The professor doesn’t know me and I don’t know the professor…_

_Well, it isn’t too late to change that! :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Exactly! ^^_

_Yoosung★: As Jaehee said, I may have become lazy after coming to college._

_Yoosung★: There are a lot of reasons as to why I changed but…_

_Yoosung★: I want to start working hard from today._

_Yoosung★: If only to impress you, the new member!_

_Oh~ That’s sweet of you, haha! :Zifeara_

_But I want you to be proud of yourself, too. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: ^^ I want to do whatever that makes you feel good._

_Yoosung★: If that means doing well in class before going on raids, then so be it!_

_Yoosung★: Besides, I think you’ve… given me courage and trust the past three days._

_Yoosung★:_ **_Just like when Rika was here…!_ **

_Yoosung★: I want to work hard again. ^^_

_Yoosung★: Just watch me!_

_I’ll get the popcorn ready! lol :Zifeara_

_You’ve got this! :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Yup! I’ll try my best~._

_Yoosung★: I have to go take the bus now. I’ll let you know how the test went later!_

 

_Yoosung has left the chatroom_

 

He was so sweet. The conversation they had last night had clearly done something to Yoosung’s brain. This was more ambition than he had shown for something since a few months ago when they spent a long weekend getting him that set of armor she drew him in. Zifeara was still sleepy so she set an alarm for later and went to roll over when her phone began barking at her.

 

“Yoosung? I thought you were supposed to be on the bus?”

 

_“I am, but it’s late. And… I had wanted to hear your voice this morning. For extra luck! I really want to see you~”_

 

Alright, that was adorable. He was definitely different. He sounded much less shy and far more confident. She wondered how deep that confidence went or if she could still have him a mess in one sentence. He didn’t need that this morning, though.

 

_“Besides, I found an old photo of Rika that I had forgotten about and it reminded me of something she told me once. She said we don’t smile because good things happen, good things happen because we smile~ Uhm… So I thought that I should talk with you and make you smile. Then maybe we’ll both have a good day!”_

 

“I’d be having a better day if my idiot brain didn’t wake me up this early, but I can’t be too mad. It must have made me get up so that I could talk to you this morning.”

 

_“Haha… Of course, right now I’m smiling because I’m so so happy to hear your voice…”_

 

“You sound… way more excited than usual, though. Did you have a bad dream or something?”

 

_“I might have, now that you mention it… I think… you were there.”_

 

“Hmm… I can’t wait to see you. The party is 6 days away and that feels like forever.”

 

Zifeara had no idea if she had said that because she was tired or because of the dream or what, but at least she had an answer on Yoosung’s confidence.

 

_“I… I want to see you too! But uh… Isn’t it too early to say this? When I see you, I want to hold your hand, hug you… ki..ki… Ne-never mind. I got ahead of myself there. Ahem!”_

 

She couldn’t believe he had almost gotten all the way through that sentence. She couldn’t believe he’d try to _say_ that sentence at all. What in the Hell had happened in his dream? She went to give him shit for it, but this time he purposefully talked over her. He was starting to learn her patterns. He knew what he did.

 

_“Men have these lines they set for themselves on how far they want to go… so they are kind of strategic about it… But they say women are different. They tend to be more sensitive and delicate.”_

 

“You ever call me delicate again and I’ll delicately kick your ass. And no, that is not just morning grumpiness talking.”

 

_“Hahaha, no, that’s not what I meant! I just… honestly I want to do something like this. Like giving a kiss when doing something nice… you know, setting rules. Haha… is that too cheesy?”_

 

“Yoosung, are you ok? Did you not get enough sleep? Is your brain slowly melting down because of this test? What has gotten into you?”

 

_“Well… there’s an easy answer to that… Oh, bus is here! Have a good rest of your day, I’ll talk to you later~! Think… think about me, ok?”_

 

And just like that, he was gone. Did any of that really just happen? Was she really awake? Was… Yoosung was just very, very shyly hitting on her, wasn’t he? She needed to go back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hated how the transition Yoosung makes in game went from 'you make me nervous haha' to 'I love you because yes?' in like one day, so I've been trying to make it a little more meaningful, if you couldn't tell! 
> 
> Also, credit for part of the dog AU spoken of goes to mysticdaddies and sketchyy-pencil on Tumblr, both of whom I love (especially sketchyy's custom mc and saeran, oh my god yes)! They took my long seeded habit of picturing characters as animals and did their own who- would-have-what-kind-of-dog-thing beautifully! 
> 
> ALSO also, I imagine the part of the song where she just uses das and dums instead of lyrics is what Yoosung chose for Zifeara's ringtone, so that if it went off in public, he wouldn't have to be embarrassed by the lyrics ///>_>\\\\\


	8. Things Just Got Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's that time in the story where Zifeara and Yoosung are mostly a thing now and he waxes a bit yandere at the end.
> 
> AKA Phone Calls While Setting Up Chapter 9 the Chapter.

Luckily, this was the one professor Yoosung actually had any kind of reputation with. He was pretty young for a teacher, but was definitely one of the better ones the blonde gamer had. Professor Jun may also have known a thing or two about LOLOL funny enough. The first day of class he had said something about the buttons on Yoosung’s hoodie. This test was not as bad as he feared. He knew the answers to most of these questions. He couldn’t believe the random conversation he had with Zifeara during their last LOLOL session about spiders actually came in handy. Why did she know so much about spiders of all things? He turned his test in and waited for his professor after class.

 

_“Yoosung, what can I do for you?”_

 

“Hello, Professor. I um. I studied for this test. Really hard, actually. I was wondering when the earliest you could have it graded by would be? If it’s really inconvenient for you, I understand, but I’m very eager to know how I did.”

 

_“Have a bet, do you? Haha, don’t make such a face, I’m only kidding. I can have it tomorrow morning, just drop by my office first thing.”_

 

Thanking his professor, Yoosung quickly rushed to his next class. Tomorrow morning. He just had to wait one full day. He could do that. Aww crap, this was his chemistry class. He was stuck with Rich and Travis this period. If he was careful, he could sneak into the room before they showed up. Looking around, neither of the larger boys were in sight. It was 5 minutes till this class started and they always cut it close. Hustling forward, he just barely heard the raucous sounds of his two most dreaded companions around the corner. Taking a seat, Yoosung grinned when the only places for the other two to sit were nowhere near him. Safe for another day.

He very briefly checked the chatroom and was pleasantly surprised to see that while he’d been gone even though everyone had been talking about how he used to be, Zifeara remained positive and encouraging. After this period it was lunch, so he could actually jump in. Till then, he’d have to slog through this. He hated chemistry. He also hated how fast he’d have to execute an escape route to grab lunch and find a spot where he wouldn’t be bothered so he could talk to Zifeara. For very obvious reasons, no one in the RFA knew he still got marginally bullied as an adult. That was probably the last thing he’d ever want Zifeara to know either.

 

Yoosung grabbed food, deserted the cafeteria, and found his preferred spot. There were several trees on campus, but this one was his favorite. The branches were easy to climb for someone his size and many of them drooped, creating neat tree hammocks. The branch he perched on was about 10 feet off the ground and was nicely hidden by the leaves and blossoms in spring. Perfect. He didn’t think just chatting with Zifeara would make him happy, but he’d called her literally 4 hours ago. She wouldn’t be mad, right? She never seemed to actually be mad at him. He should just text her.

 

***

 

The grass was warm and there was a nice breeze going. The horrible geese in the pond were making their evil honking noises and Zifeara hoped they stayed way over there. Geese were the devil’s fowl. Still, she had come to the park to relax, soak up the sun, and draw some nice trees. And pet people’s dogs. That one was a given. Lying in the grass, she thought she had a new friend, but the barking was coming from her bag. Must be lunch time.

 

_“It’s me! Your cutie pie Yoosungie~!”_

 

“Oh for- Yoosung!”

 

_“Hehe, too much? At least I finally got you for once!”_

 

“Yeah, well, pizza and a movie first, alright?”

 

_“What do you-? O-oh. Uh…”_

 

“Haha yourself. Don’t try me unless you’re ready for what you get back~ What’s up?”

 

_“I, I just wanted to know what you were up to… and hear your voice.”_

 

“You’ve been doing a lot of that lately. Am I some sort of siren and no one told me?”

 

_“Oh god, I hope not. If you are, eat Zen first, hahaha!”_

 

He stopped, thinking. Trying to figure out if he wanted to share what was clearly bugging him or not.

 

_“Why am I so anxious the whole day? My test is done and it went pretty well. I didn’t realize I was calling you until I pressed the call button. I really want to see you. Not like I just want the picture of you, I do, but… I want to actually see you. It’s odd… Whenever I get the chance to think about you, I do…”_

 

“Haha, I like talking to you too. You’re like a little ray of sunshine over the phone. Usually.”

 

_“I don’t just like it, though… I really… love it. I get scared just in case I’m just bothering you… I think I might actually be addicted… Maybe you really are a siren.”_

 

“I did tell you that you could call me if I’m awake, so I don’t know why you still feel bad about it. Besides, you have a nice voice~”

 

_“I… Hehe, I think I need a lot of teaching right now… Oh, that doesn’t mean I’m completely immature! I’m old enough, and I know how to take care of myself. This situation is really important for guys.”_

 

“Oh? And what situation do you think we have?”

 

There was that pause again. The deciding how far I want to go pause. The how much is too much pause. That finding some courage out of somewhere somehow pause.

 

_“Right now, I feel like I have to show you what a man I am, so I’m going to change. You’ll see it at the blink of an eye… so, watch over me!”_

 

“Yoosung… Are- are you sure you’re okay? Did Zen say something to you or are you really just this fired up today?”

 

_“I’m most happy these days when I talk to you or chat with you. I feel like I have something to look forward to in my days. No matter how far apart we are… I end up imagining that we’re still thinking about each other. I really hope I’m not wrong, because I love that excitement so much.”_

 

“I… You aren’t. Usually when I end up letting my mind wander while drawing… I end up drawing you. I drew all the RFA as dogs last night, but there’s an entire page that’s just you now. I do it in human form too of course, if nothing else but to get your hair right, but… I do it too.”

 

He was quiet again. Zifeara knew she was at least a little pink from the gravity of the exchange. She couldn’t imagine what color he was. She would have loved to know though; it was probably really cute. 6 days was too damn long. When Yoosung started talking again, a certain giddiness had crept into his voice.

 

_“Just a couple of days ago, all I thought about was LOLOL. What item I’d collect, what new strategy to take up, what you and I would get into… Or what club I should join… But now I can’t let go of my phone. I keep thinking about what you’re really up to, what we’re going to talk about… what we’re going to do together when we get to hang out. I know you’re excited for cooking, of all things, hehehe. Uhm… What kind of food do you like?”_

 

He had changed the topic on purpose, so Zifeara went with it. In all actuality, she was trying not to laugh. This whole conversation made her think of a peacock. A normal, tiny, blue peacock. Standing next to a massive albino one who had a thing for acting. The white one may be fancier and bigger, but she still preferred the more colorful plumage. She was going to draw this later.

 

“Truthfully, I don’t just like one type, it really depends on the dish. I am of the philosophy that it is very hard to ruin pasta, though. I live off of noodles. I make a mean spaghetti.”

 

_“I’m good at making pasta too!! It’s always al dente! I do use premade sauces but still, the pasta is half the dish! I’m glad you like American food. Chinese food is so hard to make… Still, I’d have tried if you wanted me to. Think about it and just tell me if you want to try something. I’ll practice the recipe and make it for you.”_

 

“Oooh, do you do pancakes? I fuckin love pancakes. Any time I sleepover at Fang’s, he always makes the best chocolate chip pancakes in the morning! What was that noise for?”

 

_“I um… I... tried to make pancakes very recently, if I’m honest. It did not go well… Why does that have to be the one thing you love?”_

 

“Hahaha, it’s okay, I’ll teach you. They’re kind of a pain at first, but once you know what you’re doing, you get better really fast. We’ll make pancakes the morning after pizza, yeah?”

 

_“Mmm, deal. Oh… I’d talk to you for forever if I could, but I have to go to class now. I’ll talk to you later! Bye now~!”_

 

Well… This was a thing now. At least it was out there between the two of them. 6 days, huh… Let’s be honest, what could happen in six days? At least that monumental? The chatroom dinged. Yoosung’s professor was late. Was nothing in this university on time? The idle chatter culminated in an old photo of him and Rika.

 

_Yoosung★: This is a photo that’s always in my wallet…_

_Yoosung★: Today when I looked at it…_

_Yoosung★: I was reminded of you._

_Yoosung★: Why though?_

_Maybe it’s because you look really happy in that picture? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Oh wow…_

_Yoosung★: Some day I want to put a photos of us together in the wallet, too._

_Yoosung★: Then I’ll really get going!_

 

_Yoosung has left the chatroom_

 

Well, now this was a thing for _everyone else_ too. Great. No, this was good. And surely wouldn’t be something she’d have to deal with from the entire RFA all day. Yoosung really had no idea how to do this whole ‘girlfriend’ thing and it was painfully obvious. He also was getting to be obnoxiously good at this ditch-Zifeara-after-a-really-cute-out-of-character-comment business too. The little brat. She hadn’t even drawn anything since she got there. Since it was all she could focus on, she started the peacock drawing. She was going to have to start a new collection of these animal drawings. Maybe she’d do cats later.

 

***

 

The rest of the day Yoosung couldn’t focus. Last night and even this morning he still wasn’t absolutely certain that he and Zifeara had something going on between them, but now she’d said it herself. He felt drunk. Lightheaded, heart racing, unable to pay attention to anything, overly emotional, drunk.Thank god his test was in his first class of the day. And thank god this class was easy and all he had to do was read a book later. Book. He should actually go to the library once this was out. Today was a short day, so he’d have plenty of time. Before he could stop himself from thinking it would take a natural disaster to ruin this day, he found something pretty close.

 

_“Hey, Yoosung! I see you were awake in chem today. Gimme your notes, we have a test coming up.”_

 

“Guys, I really don’t have time for this. I have to get to the library before I waste too much of the day. Besides, aren’t we too old for this kind of thing anyway? This isn’t highschool anymore.”

 

Well, he tried. Apparently, Rich and Travis weren’t too old for this, and now in addition to having to nurse a bruised shoulder, Yoosung would need a new chemistry notebook. Great. Whatever, they went over stuff he could read in the textbook anyway… He just wish he hadn’t doodled so much in that book oh god they were going to see all of that. Shit. At least they’d never have the honor of meeting Zifeara, so if he tried really hard, they would never know if she were even real or not. Right. Library.

Picking a spot and settling into books, he sectioned off part of his Literature notebook for chemistry for now until he either got another one, which was more likely, or got the other one back. Work was easy for Literature, but chemistry was hard without the notes from earlier to simplify things. He’d probably have to talk to that professor too and ask a million questions. Ugh. He wondered if… *buzz buzz buzz* His phone was ringing. How did she do that?

 

“Hello? Guess where I am at right now.”

 

_“Well I’m guessing since we’re being kinda hushed, the library?”_

 

“Huh, huh, huh? How did you know? Really, how? Wow… I feel like you look right through me. I came out to take your call.”

 

_“Well, thank you, but it wasn’t super important. You could have called me later.”_

 

“Nonsense. It’s just the library, I can take a couple of minutes to talk to you~”

 

_“Aw, bless. I was going to tell you that I was about to start a new drawing project and wanted to get your opinion. Do you think Zen makes a better wolf or deer?”_

 

“Hmm… Deer. Deer look fancy and majestic and even though it’s scary when they rut, they’re gentle creatures at heart. Zen talks big and bad, but if you need him, he’s usually there for you. Especially if you’re a girl…”

 

_“Huh, fair enough. Thank you! Anything fun happen to you today?”_

 

He was so happy she called him for something so simple. She could have text that question. She really did like talking to him almost as much as he loved hearing her. Trying not to think about getting his notebook nicked because that wasn’t exactly fun, he remembered a conversation with a classmate as the only thing that stood out.

 

“You know, earlier today, one of my friends asked me a couple questions from his phone telling me he just wants to test something. After I answered all his questions, he said it was some preference test and said I’m an M. He started laughing like crazy. But I didn’t really understand what he was saying so I asked him what that is and he suddenly stopped laughing. Then he asked me really? Really? And started laughing like crazy again.”

 

The noise Yoosung heard from Zifeara’s end made him wonder if she were ok for a moment before _she_ started laughing. It went on for long enough that he felt his face begin to heat up. What was he missing? If it was funny to Zifeara, it must not be a good thing…

 

“I really just asked because I didn’t know. And now you’re laughing this hard too? I am stupid…? Or did I just miss something…? Zifeara, why is that so funny?”

 

_“Aha… Oh no. Yoosung, I’m not surprised you don’t know what that means, but this is really not the best time to explain it to you. Hold that thought for later, okay? Hahahaha, ah, that sounds about right. You should go back to whatever you were doing. I promise I’ll tell you later.”_

 

He reluctantly agreed and did go back to working, but this was going to bother him for the rest of the day. She found it so hilarious, but there was a good reason for him not knowing? She was older than he was, like, three years older so she knew more than he did. She also had more experience as an adult and knew what Zen was on about more often than not. Whenever he didn’t know what Zen was talking about and Seven had to explain it to him later, what did it end up being? In that case, this had to be something to do with… Oh. OH. Oh Hell, this was going to be an… interesting conversation then.

 

***

 

Jumin decided to be helpful for once that evening. Zifeara was eating dinner when both he and Yoosung popped into the chat. Jumin, of course, was the first to point out that there was a new thing happening between her and the blonde, which nobody objected too hard to, so they just moved on. Zen had hurt his ankle earlier that day, but only Jaehee was truly worried since nothing physical ever seemed to keep the actor down. Everything was going ok, but the new bought of studying had Yoosung questioning what it was he really wanted to do. Apparently, Jumin had an internship waiting for him, and that was fine, but Zifeara was pretty sure it was going to make Yoosung miserable. Which she did point out, but he claimed it was good to have a backup plan, which she couldn’t argue with. She figured he just needed to do more and more things till he found something that stuck. Jumin was on point with the good advice today. He stated Yoosung didn’t have pressure from anywhere to succeed, so therefor he didn’t feel a sense of purpose from his studies. This was where the conversation went a direction Zifeara was not expecting.

 

_Yoosung★: I don’t really have… people who expect things from me like with you…_

_Yoosung★: She’s gone from my life._

_Jumin Han: You mean Rika._

_Yoosung★: Yes… But I think someone else might have come up._

_Yoosung★: ...Zifeara._

_Yoosung★: I feel as if I’m with Rika again._

_Well, I want to be someone who helps you, Yoosung. :Zifeara_

 

She thought she was imagining things. There was no way he was comparing how he felt about her with his very dead cousin. Right? That was all well and good, but some part of her brain needed honest to god confirmation. The next time it fit in anywhere, Zifeara jumped straight into the deep end.

 

_Yoosung, you aren’t mixing me up with Rika right now, are you? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Well, you two are very similar haha_

_Yoosung★:_ **_It feels like destiny to me._ **

 

Shit. _Shit_ . No, there was no way. Everything was not hinged on being a stand in for his _cousin_ because that’s borderline incest since he said Rika felt like his sister. Right Jumin? She was overreacting?

 

_Jumin Han: Hmmm…_

_Jumin Han: Zifeara feels completely different from Rika to me._

_Of course we feel different. We’re two different people, haha. :Zifeara_

 

Oh thank god. Now Yoosung, don’t you dare-

 

_Yoosung★:_ **_But, the two are doing the same work at RFA._ **

_Yoosung★: I really like that._

 

No. No, no, no. This wasn’t happening. All of that was just very badly worded and that wasn’t a thing. It couldn’t be. The thing she and Yoosung had was real and was months in the making. They didn’t _know_ that, but it was. She was being… something. She refused to believe this was real. His type was basically his own cousin though… NO. Not. Happening. She needed to draw. Badly.

 

Jaehee was in for a hot second to at least provide a guest and Zifeara was almost done with her peacocks. They had turned out better than expected, honestly. Tiny peacock Yoosung ended up with a single yellow feather on top of his head since she couldn’t resist and she was starting to begrudgingly realize Zen looked good no matter what _animal_ he was, too. Damn it. Maybe she should play LOLOL tonight. She could see if Fang was on… He was always good for her sanity. Just as she was about to text her best friend, the chat dinged.

Seven was up to his usual bullshit involving trying to convince Yoosung that catnip being licked off you by a cat healed wounds, which, thankfully, didn’t get very far. What did happen, though, meant Seven was the second person to point out the obvious.

 

_Seven, yes catnip is a thing, no catnip does not heal wounds. :Zifeara_

_It’s a member of the mint family and does not have magical properties when licked by cats. Shut up. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: See, Zifeara knows things too. I’m more inclined to believe her._

_707: Have you two gotten that far already??_

_Do you not remember the coffee thing and how I talked him out of it? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Can’t I go visit Zifeara? I want to ignore what V said and just go…_

_Yoosung! V must have a reason for you not being allowed here yet. :Zifeara_

_707: Yeah, it wouldn’t be good…_

_707: There are 20 bodyguards in the building who will put down any stranger in three minutes._

_Are they also ninjas because I’ve never seen a single one of them. :Zifeara_

_707: That and V won’t be happy about it._

_707: Ur not playing games today?_

_707:_ **_LOLOL is calling for you._ **

 

Much faff of videogame talk and a partially finished Shiba Seven with little devil horns later, Yoosung offered up a guest for her and went to go… clean?! Huh. That was new. Based on his description of the dorm he lived in, Yoosung did not clean. Ever. Well good. There was no more mention of the cousin-that-shall-not-be-named. She’d still text Fang. He was indeed up for some LOLOL. Lovely.

 

Hours later, she swore she heard something while waiting for another member of their guild to show up, but she did have a pair of those sweet headphones with the light up cat ears on them. Those things made it sound like a movie theater, so it was hard to be sure without removing a side from her head. That noise was definitely not imagined. She told Fang to either take charge for a moment or wait for her, whichever since her phone was ringing. He gave half a snide comment about her new boyfriend before she couldn’t hear him anymore.

 

_“Hmm? Oh, you picked up kind of late. What were you up to?”_

 

“Yeah? Do I usually answer that much faster? I was playing LOLOL, so I had to tell my guild to hold up. How’s cleaning?”

 

_“It’s going. I know this is funny to say… but I thought you were talking to someone else before I called you.”_

 

“Oh yeah? Who then?”

 

_“I don’t know… Someone you know… someone in the RFA… Especially Zen… He’s popular… and he’s smooth… That might sound nice to girls… He tends to be careless about what he says so I have my eye on him.”_

 

She almost laughed Yoosung into next week.

 

“ **ZEN?!** You’re worried about me talking to Zen? The man I basically told can shove his head up his own ass for all I cared? Not that it isn’t far enough in there already. Yoosung, I was talking to Fang and have been since I was in the messenger last. We’re doing guild stuff. You know, it’s pretty funny that you think Zen has anything to do with anything else. The longest conversation I’ve had with the man was five minutes.”

 

_“Haha, yeah, I guess that is pretty silly… I can tell you anything, right? Don’t laugh this time?”_

 

“Of course Yoosung. Promise.”

 

_“ I… I think I’m a bit weird. It’s just… When I see you talking with others in the messenger, I feel… itchy for some reason. It kind of hurts, and I don’t want to see it but I can’t leave… is this what it’s like to be possessive? It’s always the two of us there… I want to talk to you privately. I think that’s why I call you so much. I’m sorry. You might think it’s a bit strange for me to say that.”_

 

“While I like talking to everyone in the RFA, some very much less so than others, ahem, Jaehee, ahem, I always pick up the phone for you because I like talking to you too.”

 

_“Even when I hear that, I feel like there’s a heavy rock on my chest. I’m so happy, but I’m nervous too. What if you start liking someone else? What if I’m no longer the reason you come to the chatroom? I know I’m not the only reason, but I can’t help think about things like that sometimes. A lot. More than I should.”_

 

“Oh, hun, it’s not completely unusual to do what you’re doing right now. You’ve never had a girlfriend before. Of course you’re going to get a little rabid over the first girl you’ve shown interest in to like you too. It’s a guy thing if nothing else. You’re not used to getting this far and it’s upsetting your brain. Just chill. I’m not going anywhere and I really don’t have a thing for Zen. Swear on my best armor. And literally all my armor. Zen is a big _no_. In fact if it’ll make you feel better, in 5 days I’ll flip him off in front of god and everybody for you. Alright?”

 

He laughed and then switched back to sad. This was harder than she thought.

 

_“I know it’s important to trust you and take your feelings as they are… but why do I keep doubting and wanting confirmation? When I’m happy, I get scared of losing that happiness… I must be stupid. Or a baby. Or both.”_

 

“Yoosung, you are neither. Bad things have happened to you just as they happen to everyone, but your set of unfortunates mean that when you’re truly happy, you’ve come to expect it to be taken. So now that some of your chicks have hatched, you’re looking around for the fox. Don’t think about the past, just live in the present and plan for the future. When plans change, fuck it. Let them. Then plan again.”

 

_“Oh.. That’s just a beautiful thing to say. Well, without the swearing it is, haha… Come to think about it… I’ve just never been loved that way before so I don’t know how to appreciate this happy moment and I tend to think about the worst… You’re right. Again. I really should live in the present, and not fear the past and future…”_

 

“Yes, there you go. Take one thing from right this moment to revel in and stay there. Be happy. You deserve to be happy about something. Say it.”

 

_“Yoosung Kim is happy and excited… because you are in his present… and I should focus on this fact.”_

 

“I… haha, yes, very good Yoosung. I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon either. You should go to sleep happy too, so that way you’ll have good dreams and wake up that way.”

 

_“Oh! Yeah, look at the time! I should stop talking and get ready for bed. Thank you, Zifeara. I feel a lot better. Goodnight… and think of me too so you’ll wake up just as happy as I will.”_

 

“Hmmhm. I can do that. Night, Yoosung.”

 

Zifeara was about to put her phone down and get back to her guild as soon as she heard the click, but it didn’t come. Yoosung hadn’t really hung up yet. Nooooo, it was too early to do the wretched ‘no you hang up first’ thing. She’d punch him if he started that.

 

_“...You still haven’t hung up? Oh… I guess you’re still there. I just need to say this. To be honest… You know…”_

 

It was odd, as much as she wanted to tease him about how he seemed to expect her to disappear at any second, firstly she couldn’t blame him, and secondly she didn’t seem to have any words for the moment. Anything she would have said completely left when she heard Yoosung’s tone of voice. It was not only quieter and lower than she’d ever heard him, but more… Demanding, almost.

 

_“I don’t know if this is what real jealousy is. I want you to only look at me. I want you to look at me, cherish me, and just only talk to me. Your kind voice, words, I want all those to be geared towards me. I know I can’t keep you all to myself like this… but I’m tempted to try… If this is jealousy, then I am being jealous… I… Sweet dreams. I’m really hanging up this time. Good night.”_

  
Well then… Zifeara turned her mic back on and told Fang he’d be in charge for longer than she thought, to which she didn’t stick around for the inevitable protest. She was going to need a moment. And maybe something cold to put on the back of her neck so she could focus on the dragon she was about to lead her team into battle against. She’d text Fang aaaall about what the Hell just happened while she did so and he’d surely understand. She did not trust her voice to save her life. Or her knees for that matter. Zen didn’t have shit on Yoosung right now. He went from cute little puppy to Cerberus in less than a minute. Woof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooooooo I may have missed a very important chat at the end of day 5 while writing this, I'm aware, but I already wrote literally the whole chapter and worked in a reason for it and am too lazy to rework it, so yay! 
> 
> My favorite Yoosungs are the two extremes; yandere will totally fight Zen to the death Yoosung and oh god I'm too flustered and shy to speak Yoosung. Now I have both >:3


	9. The R-word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shit all hits the fan and it has the RFA in a state of disarray. Their princess is upset and it shows. How is Yoosung going to dig himself out of this trench?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo Imma throw cannon out the window a minute because I liked this. Also, hi, I accidentally wrote a whole chapter today. Whee!

Zifeara must have been busy when he found the album of pictures. She must have been so swamped when he looked at Rika smiling in those pictures and remembered how happy he felt. Surely she was doing something important when he used the chat to reminisce and type the one sentence damning the rest of the entire coming day.

 

“I wish you were here, Zifeara. Rika was a fantastic person and so are you. You can’t be exactly the same… But… to me you basically are.”

 

Why was she not there to argue?

 

***

 

“Fang, I swear to god if you don’t get your ass over here-!”

 

_“I’m coming, I’m coming, shit Zifeara. You are really having a day, aren’t you? This boy of yours is going to ruin your usually tender nature~”_

 

“Bite me. What the Hell were you doing, anyway? I just had to tank all four of those gargoyles. You know the rest of our guild isn’t ready for this area. That’s the whole reason I brought you.”

 

_“Oh, Mal wandered into the cemetery and was getting surrounded by ghouls. Again. She’s getting better, but seven ghouls is still a lot of ghouls. So besides exceeding expectations, what in the world has Yoosung done? I can tell when you’re doing this for stress relief because you get snippy with me, plus he’s a guy, so don’t tell me he hasn’t done something stupid.”_

 

The downside to knowing someone for most of your life was how well they knew you to a T. Since she and Fang were on Discord, he must have heard it in her voice the second she got on but gave her a while to blow some steam off. Zifeara had been distracted since she had a guild to manage and one of her other IRL friends was playing. Malaya, AKA Mal AKA RogueGhost was new to LOLOL, but she would see them once in awhile for coffee and general nonsense. Mal lived on the other side of town though, so their meetings were much more infrequent than they were between her and Fang.

 

“Oh, he’s… doing this really obnoxious thing where he keeps comparing me to his cousin, who’s job I’m doing right now.”

 

_“Ooooookaaaay. Yeah that is kinda weird but why are you this steamed about it?”_

 

“She’s dead.”

 

 _“Oh. Yeah, that… That is a problem. He doesn’t… think you are his cousin, right? I know you usually like your men kinda crazy, but we aren’t_ **_there_ ** _yet, are we? Cause if you are, I will break every rule of nature and date you myself to keep you away from that kind of crazy.”_  

 

“Okay, first of all, we decided that would never happen lest we tear a hole in the space-time continuum. Secondly, I really fucking hope not. I am, as you know, well versed in bullshit, but that would be crossing a line. Besides, I really like this guy. The universe has to hand me a bone once in awhile.”

 

_“Zia, are we forgetting the last time you really liked a guy?”_

 

“I’m trying to. So shut it. Now are you going to come help me ferry our guild or what? And for Hell’s sake, _keep track of Mal._ ”

 

Guild sated and anger dispersed, it was pretty early when Zifeara decided to settle in. She then realized she’d been ignoring the RFA chats for quite a while. Hopefully nothing important… happened… **_Shit._ **

 

***

 

Zifeara felt nauseous. There were two entire chats out of the three she’d missed that confirmed Yoosung was equating her to Rika. She hadn’t gotten very much sleep, really only a nap. She was awake when Jumin found a kitten and was drawing when Zen hopped on later to talk about random things. Apparently no one knew what Yoosung was actually going to college to study. He had never told her, so she was in that same boat. At the moment, she really didn’t care though. To be honest, she was having a hard time not just sitting in bed being upset.

This thing with Yoosung was affecting her way more than it should have and even her doodles were reflecting it. She had been drawing monsters and horrific mutations all morning. She really only ever did that when she was unhappy. Even though she liked them and thought they were cool, they always turned out truly horrific when she was mad or upset.

 

When her phone started barking, she froze. Of course it was time for Yoosung to be awake. He must have just barely missed the chat between her and Zen. He knew she was up. Zifeara couldn’t bring herself to answer him. She was not happy with him right now and she didn’t want to say anything too mean. She just didn’t want to talk to him right now. The monsters were better company at the moment. Not long after the phone went quiet she got the text.

 

**To Zifeara**

**You must have gotten in the shower or something after talking to Zen. I wanted to tell you good morning, but I’ll just have to leave you a text. I’m getting my test back this morning! Fingers crossed that I might get that picture today~! My heart is beating so fast… I’ll call you during lunch, ok?**

 

Oh no… She had forgotten about that. He did have to get an A… maybe he would miss it? But Yoosung had been studying so hard and he had said he thought he did well… What would happen when he found out Zifeara looked nothing like his perfect cousin? Would… would this even still work? What if he kept thinking they’d magically be the same even after he knew? Right up until the party? This wouldn’t work. At least he hadn’t officially asked her out or anything so she didn’t have to actually break up with him, but still. This was over before it began. If Yoosung didn’t sort this out pronto, Zifeara couldn’t date him. Mistaken for dead cousin was definitely on the dealbreaker list.

 

***

 

Skidding to a halt, Yoosung found the office door stood open and inviting. His professor was in there somewhere. There were a lot of desks in here, all separated by dividers and bookshelves, giving each teacher a sort of wonky cubicle. Luckily at this time of morning, not many of them were populated so it didn’t take him long to spot Professor Jun. Seeing the blonde coming and shuffling through some papers, the older man rose to meet his student, holding a graded test out.

Apparently Professor Jun was in a good mood this morning as he grinned and held the test in such a way so that his thumb was over one of the bright red numbers denoting Yoosung’s score. The number he could see was a 2, so he hadn’t aced it. It didn’t matter, all he needed was for that hidden number to be a 9 and he was golden. He would find out what Zifeara looked like today.

 

_“Well done, Yoosung. This was a vast improvement over your past performances.”_

 

Once Yoosung took hold of the other end of the test, Professor Jun let go. Yoosung almost skipped class today and went home. Right there in bright red ink and circled it very clearly said 92. He did it. He _actually_ did it. He got the A.

 

_“Are you alright, Yoosung? You aren’t running a fever today, are you? You shouldn’t push yourself if you’re sick…”_

 

“N-no, Professor. I feel fantastic actually! Thank you so much, I have to get to class!”

 

Yoosung still had to pay attention enough to take notes, but it had never been harder to focus before. Even after only getting two hours of sleep from playing LOLOL all night it was easier to pay attention. Zifeara was going to be so excited. Only two more classes and then he could call her. He didn’t know if he could even do lunch today with how anxious he was. He might not be able to keep food down. Zifeara said she didn’t look anything like the girl he had described over text, so that meant not blonde and her eyes weren’t blue. There were any number of possible combinations of eye and hair color she could have and every single one of them was exciting. What if she had her hair dyed too? What if she had piercings? Oh my god, what if her eyes were green, like Rika’s? He had always loved how much Rika’s eyes reminded him of grass; so alive.

One more class. The closer it got to lunch time, the harder it was for Yoosung to sit still. Now he was straight up fidgety. Food was definitely not happening. The second his class was out, he was halfway out the room. Making his way back to his favorite tree, Yoosung almost fell out he was climbing so fast. He took a picture of his test and sent it to Zifeara, waiting a couple of minutes before calling her.

 

“Zifeara! I did it! I got my A! I almost missed it, haha. This is all thanks to you. This never would have happened without you believing in me, motivating me, and funny enough, knowing a frightening amount about spiders too. Seriously, one of the questions you helped me answer from a thing we talked about in LOLOL. Weird isn’t it? Aren’t you proud of me?”

 

“ _Yeah, Yoosung. I knew you could do it if you tried hard enough.”_

 

That was a million percent not the reaction he was expecting. She was excited for this too yesterday. Why did she sound so… sad now?

 

“Zifeara… What’s wrong? I thought… You aren’t sick or something are you? You sound really… unhappy right now.”

 

_“Yoosung, answer me honestly, okay? What have you been thinking I look like all day?”_

 

“Uhm, well… You could look like anything really, so I don’t know where to start. Are you still upset over what I said my type was? I told you that really didn’t-”

 

 _“If I hadn’t told you I wasn’t blonde, would you have hoped I was? What do you_ **_hope_ ** _I look like?”_

 

“Zifeara… why are you so…”

 

She was clearly waiting for an answer. He learned his lesson the first time. Yoosung may have never had a girlfriend before, but he had also proven he wasn’t stupid. He had an answer, but he didn’t know how much better she’d feel. It sounded dumb in his head, kinda like something Zen would say, but it was the truth. If he was lucky, it would keep him just far enough out of the trouble it sounded like he was about to be in to figure out why she was upset.

 

“I hope… I hope you look like the girl who I can officially ask out when I see you at the party.”

 

***

 

That really wasn’t the answer Zifeara was expecting. Actually, that was something she would have expected from Zen. Yoosung didn’t know why she was mad at him. This wasn’t serving to make her any _less_ mad, but it was helping to keep her rational. No one else in the RFA had really called him out on it yet either, so how could he know?

 

“Yoosung, think very hard about everything you’ve said in the past, say twelvish hours. There is a very good reason I’m unhappy right now, but if you don’t figure it out for yourself, I’m afraid you won’t know why it’s upset me. I haven’t forgotten our deal, but I’m finding it very hard to keep right now along with my composure. I’m going to draw for an indiscriminate amount of time and I’m not picking up the phone for a while. Only to deal with the chatroom and that’s it. Maybe you’ll get it at some point today. Until then, goodbye.”

 

Now she was pretty upset. He really didn’t see what he was doing but that didn’t make it hurt less. She made a new document and started working on a dragon. A big, angry death dragon with exposed bone and gnarled, twisted features tearing the absolute shit out of a knight’s horse as he lay smoldering in a pile off to the side. Once the rough sketch of that was done, she heard the chatroom go off. If anything she was hoping he’d be at least a little more discrete about the fact that they were fighting than he was about them potentially dating.

 

Luckily this was the case. They had a good pretense of normalcy all the while Zifeara gave short responses as she was still working on a more detailed version of her dragon. And then Yoosung said the R-word again. At least this time it wasn’t about her. The only part of the conversation she really paid much mind to after that was when Yoosung discovered that they didn’t even have his major on file anywhere. She’d never been told what it was, but based on his classes, she had a few ideas.

 

_Yoosung★: I studied for 10 years to get into this university T_T_

_Jaehee Kang: ;;;I apologize. If you tell me now, I will make sure to make an entry._

_Yoosung★: Make a guess._

_I’ll go after Jaehee since I think I have a better idea and I’m probably right. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I like the confidence lol_

_Jaehee Kang:_ _Computer related field?_

_Yoosung★: Nope. I’m not in engineering, either._

_Jaehee Kang:_ _Business major._

_Yoosung★: That’s Jumin._

_Jaehee Kang:_ _English literature._

_Yoosung★: I don’t even remember anything I read in highschool._

_Medicine. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: **Oh?!** _

_Jaehee Kang: I do not know. Please tell me._

_Yoosung★: I’m not gonna._

_Yoosung★: My feelings are hurt T_T_

_Jaehee Kang: ;;;_

_Yoosung★: How could everyone be so ignorant about me…_

_How inconsiderate. :Zifeara_

_Jaehee Kang: Zifeara, are you alright? You’ve been very subdued this afternoon._

_Ya. I’m drawing. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I’m so disappointed…_

_Yoosung★: No one except Rika cared about me…_

_Yoosung★: If Zifeara weren’t here… I would have drowned in indifference._

 

There it was again, the one thing ruining everything. He hadn’t figured it out yet. Now the dragon had much sharper teeth than were really necessary. And massive spikes running along its spine. She shouldn’t have logged in to that conversation. It had been a mistake. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake.

 

Updating her Tumble with new art pieces, she received immediate feedback on her dragon. Everyone loved it. At least a few good things came out of her foul moods. The chatroom was alive again with talk of the cat before it happened again. Yoosung was back in. Seven was there too, though. Maybe the least sane member would be the voice of reason in these senseless times. They too talked about the cat and even got a new guest for the party before it really was Defender of Justice Seven Zero Seven to her rescue.

 

 _707:_ **_U like Zifeara, right?_ **

_Yoosung★: Yes._

 

Straightforward answer this time. Guess there was really no point in denying what everyone already knew.

 

_707: Don’t u want to see each other face to face and get to know each other first?_

_Yoosung★: Of course._

_We’ve been excited for the party for days now. :Zifeara_

_707: Zifeara, just give me a sec, I’m doing a thing._

_707: Promise its for u._

_707: Before I can’t stand to watch it, I need to ask Yoosung a question._

_Yoosung★: What question all of a sudden?_

_707: I’m gonna cast a spell to see whether or not ur heart is true_

_Yoosung★:_ **_I don’t need that._ **

_707: Yoosung._

_Yoosung★: Yes._

_707:_ _U imagine what Zifeara looks like in ur head, right?_

 

Oh bless Seven. He was on the same page as her. Maybe now everything would be ok. The tricky part was, no one else knew about the deal she and Yoosung had, nor about how he had a hint of what she didn’t look like. This could be interesting.

 

 _Yoosung★:_ **_I did from the first day to be honest haha_ **

_707:_ _Don’t u want to go somewhere and have fun with Zifeara, just the two of u?_

_Yoosung★: Well… yeah._

_707:_ _Do u think about Zifeara when u wake up in the morning?_

_Yoosung★: Yup lol. I check to see whether or not she’s online._

_707:_ _Do u think about her before u go to bed?_

_Yoosung★: Hmm… Yes. Again, I check to see if she’s on or not._

 

Seven was doing a really good job hiding what it was he was doing. And she was almost impressed Yoosung didn’t point out how often he really talked to her. He didn’t tell Seven he called her every morning and every night, nor the million times in between they usually texted. It was definitely fun to watch Seven’s technique, but it was also terrifying because she knew what was coming.

 

 _707:_ _Do u think Rika and Zifeara are similar?_

_Yoosung★: ...Hmm…_

_Yoosung★: Yes. A little bit._

_707: In what way?_

_Yoosung★: They’re both doing similar things for the RFA with the same goal._

_707: Is that all?_

_Yoosung★: Well, she might look like Rika in some ways for all I know._

_707: Hmm… I don’t think they look a thing like each other lol_

_Yoosung★: Maybe that’s because you actually know what Zifeara looks like haha_

 

Was… was he being very off-handedly pissy with her? Like he had any right to be mad. He was currently digging his own grave deeper and he thought he got to be upity. She was too irritated to comment on this madness.

 

_Yoosung★: They’ll have different personalities but I think they’ll feel similar._

_707:_ **_No!!_ **

_Yoosung★: What?_

_707: This is just as if…_

_707:_ **_u can’t tell the difference between a laptop and a computer!!_ **

_Yoosung★: What? I can tell them apart!_

_707:_ **_It’s as if u can’t tell LOLOL from LOLTA 2_ **

_Yoosung★: LOLTA 2 isn’t popular;;_

_707: Zifeara, help me out. This bothers u, right?_

_707: How can I explain so that our boy Yoosung understands?_

_Depends, am I the computer or the laptop? :Zifeara_

_707: In my opinion?_

_707: Computer for sure._

_Aww, you’re sweet. But I guess it’s true… :Zifeara_

_He really can’t distinguish me from Rika… :Zifeara_

_707:_ **_Yes! That’s it!_ **

_Yoosung★: Wait, Zifeara, that’s what you were…?_

_707: ???_

_Yoosung★: I know that they are two different people…_

_Yoosung★: But I’m sure that… she’s like Rika._

_Yoosung★: You don’t have to explain to me the similarities and differences between them._

_707: Hmm… I guess time will tell._

_Thank you, Seven. I’m glad you were here. :Zifeara_

_707:_ **_Haha I knew u’d be impressed with my nosiness._ **

_Yoosung★: Uh… I think she was being sarcastic…_

_707: lol, gotta go back to work._

_707:_ **_Slave 4 company_ **

_See ya. :Zifeara_

_I’m out too. :Zifeara_

 

She logged out before anyone else could say something to make today worse. She was going to go take a shower and hopefully not cry. Yoosung really couldn’t tell the difference. And now he was trying to call her. Zifeara slid the button to tell her phone to shut up and text him.

 

**From Zifeara**

**You didn’t learn.**

 

The shower didn’t really help. Zifeara was still pissed. She had never been this mad about a guy she hadn’t even dated yet, much the less hadn’t even really known very long. Why was this such a big deal? She called Fang. He never didn’t make her feel better. When he picked up, everything was really loud. He must be out with some of their friends. He told her to wait a minute while he made it to somewhere quieter.

 

“Fang, if you were out, you didn’t have to answer. How did you even hear your phone?”

 

_“I didn’t, I felt it. It was in my pocket and I was sitting, so when it vibrated, I picked up. Besides, you know I will never not answer the phone for you. You do the same to me. What’s up?”_

 

She was starting to let all those pent up emotions get the better of her now. She could always tell him anything since he was her very best friend and she was tempted to.

 

“I… it hasn’t been a good day. Everything from yesterday got worse. How… how long have you been out?”

 

_“If you’re asking if I’ll drop what I’m doing to come get you, you know I will. Every time. Where am I going?”_

 

God did she appreciate that right now. She knew Fang’s approach to fixing things with her was watching stupid movies to make fun of them and making her midnight pancakes. She really wanted those pancakes. She told him about the park she had walked to yesterday since she wasn’t allowed to tell him where the apartment was and he said he’d be there in twenty minutes. It only took ten to get there at a good pace, so Zifeara didn’t hurry to get ready. She took her tablet and put it in its carry case along with anything else she thought she’d need and left. There were three comforting things about staying at Fang’s house; pancakes, the fact that Fang gave the world’s best hugs, and Lazarus.

 

***

 

This was legitimately the worst. How did things go this wrong this fast? Just yesterday Yoosung had been thinking about how in the world he was going to actually ask Zifeara out and now she wouldn’t talk to him. At all. Had she ignored him on purpose when he called her this morning too? All he had were the chat logs from earlier and a single text. ‘You didn’t learn.’ He knew she was mad about him comparing her to Rika, but why was that so bad? Rika was a wonderful woman and had such a massive impact on his life. She was so kind and caring and thoughtful and so was Zifeara.

And Yoosung had been honest when he said she could look a bit like Rika. Just because she wasn’t blonde didn’t mean there couldn’t be other similarities. She could look exactly the same minus the hair color for all he knew. And he would have known by now if… Seven said they looked nothing alike. So what. He already told her and said in chat he didn’t care what she looked like. He just wanted to see her. If Zifeara would just talk to him, maybe he could explain this mess. This sucked.

He tried playing LOLOL to get his mind off things, but it really didn’t help. He kept dying. So he gave up and sat on his bed. Yoosung reached for the photo album he had found while cleaning. Looking again at all these pictures of himself and Rika and the old RFA parties, he tried so hard to see why wanting to go back to this was so wrong. Zifeara was working to bring this back. Right? She was doing Rika’s job so she felt like Rika in that way too. So what was the problem? Putting the photos down, Yoosung decided to go for a walk. This wasn’t helping either, so that might.

He had this park he liked to go to when things weren’t great. And he actually went outside for a hot second. It wasn’t exactly super close to his dorm, but it had a neat pond and some pretty trees and a nice long time out in the night air might be good for him. Once he spent the almost hour it took to make it there, Yoosung went around the pond to find his favorite tree. Much like on his college campus, there were a few here he liked to sit in. That’s when he saw someone else, standing close to the parking lot, leaning up against his tree. What was a girl doing alone in the park this late at night? Maybe he should see if she was ok?

She was looking down at her phone and texting. She must be waiting for someone then. Yoosung had the strangest feeling creeping up on him right now. It was one part apprehension, one part indecision, and one part… guilt. She was really pretty. Her raven black hair reached her waist but it didn’t hide how nicely proportioned she was. She was almost as tall as he was, maybe a little shorter but she was thin and fit. Her jacket wasn’t very thick considering how it was slightly chilly out here, but she didn’t seem uncomfortable. Yoosung couldn’t quite see her eyes since she was looking straight ahead and he was on her right, but what he could see of her face was just as aesthetically pleasing as the rest of her.

He felt like an asshole. Zifeara was mad at him and here he was, staring at some random girl. He was just about to make himself find another place to go when a fairly nice car pulled up to her and she smiled. Oh man did she have a nice smile. Her ride was here. At least Yoosung could have his tree back and she wasn't in any trouble. Just before she got in, he got a glimpse of her eyes. They were purple like his, but much darker and had a bluish tint to them. _Yoosung, no!_ Stop staring! Zifeara would so slap you right now. She might anyway at this rate… Damn it.

 

***

 

As soon as she got in the door, the black Malamute nearly knocked her over, whimpering in excitement.

 

“ _Lazarus,_ **_down_ ** _! Bad dog! Sit!”_

 

The dog looked not the least bit ashamed of himself at his master’s scolding, but did as he was told. Zifeara laughed and reached out to scratch his ears.

 

“Awww, Laz, is Fang yelling at you? You just missed me, huh?”

 

_“Don’t encourage him. Go sit down and put something on, I’ll get the pancakes going and bring them to you when they’re ready, k? Take the massive mutt with you, he knows he’s not allowed in the kitchen while I'm cooking, haha.”_

 

Patting her side, Zifeara and Lazarus made their way to the couch and settled in, the big dog laying his head in her lap. While absentmindedly stroking him and deciding which bad old film they were watching tonight, her phone dinged. If it was Yoosung, she was leaving it. Luckily it wasn’t. Zen was feeling better and Jaehee was relieved, so Zifeara told him she was too. Zen wasn’t such a bad guy when he wasn’t high on himself, so that wasn’t a lie. She ended up gaining a new guest for the party before the inevitable happened.

 

_Zen: Yoosung that boy~_

_Zen: I’m not sure if he really has genuine feelings for Zifeara._

_Zen: I feel kinda bad saying it right in front of her, but…_

_Jaehee Kang: Yes… It might be rude._

_Zen: It’s as if he’s saying he likes Zifeara because she’s similar to Rika._

_Zen: What do you think, Zifeara? Are you ok?_

_To be honest, no. :Zifeara_

_I’m pretty pissed right now, actually. He doesn’t get it, either. :Zifeara_

_I wish he’d stop comparing us and just look at me for me. :Zifeara_

_Jaehee Kang: I feel you have every right to think that way._

_Jaehee Kang: Yoosung will soon realize what the truth is…_

_Zen: Yes. But considering what’s going on right now, when he actually gets to meet Zifeara…_

_Zen: If she feels nothing like Rika…_

_Zen: I’m worried he’ll have a mental breakdown or something._

_Jaehee Kang: Do you think it’ll be that bad?_

_Really? You think he could really be that upset? :Zifeara_

_Zen: Yes since he liked Rika so much._

_Zen: I don’t want Zifeara to get hurt by any chance._

_It’s a tad too late for that, Zen, but thanks. :Zifeara_

_Jaehee Kang: It is common to end up liking someone who is similar to a person you admire._

_Jaehee Kang: I think it is possible to develop a deep relationship that way._

_Is it common to develop a deep relationship with someone who is mistaking you for their dead cousin? :Zifeara_

_Zen: Zifeara has a point;_

_Zen: Someone might get hurt in the end._

_Zen: What if Zifeara ends up getting hurt worse in all this?_

_We kind of really have to give him time to change for the better. :Zifeara_

_Jaehee Kang: I… think so as well._

_Jaehee Kang: He will change in a good way._

_Zen: I’m just worried that Yoosung will make a mistake… since he doesn’t have much experience…_

_Zen: If it’s Zifeara, I can be better…_

_Jaehee Kang: ?_

_You what now? :Zifeara_

_Zen: I can be a better escort than that little boy, you know ^^_

_Zen, I’m only going to say this once. :Zifeara_

_Zen: Yes~?_

_I respect you as a person even though you can be a little over the top. :Zifeara_

_You can be very caring and lovely. :Zifeara_

_Jaehee Kang: ?!?_

_Zen: Is that a yes?_

_Fuck you. :Zifeara_

_Zen:_ **_Omg..._ **

_Zen: Such language is unbecoming of a lady…_

_A lady does not start fights but she certainly knows how to finish them~ :Zifeara_

_Jaehee Kang: Well then…_

_Jaehee Kang: You already knew that Zifeara is interested in Yoosung…_

_Zen:_ **_I was only kidding lol_ **

_Zen: Well. I’m too busy to go on dates anyways._

_Jaehee Kang: I assume so. I think it’s better for you to focus on your career._

_Zen: Anyways, I hope Yoosung grows up and becomes the perfect man for Zifeara._

_Zen:_ **_Or else, I’m just gonna snatch you away~!_ **

_Jaehee Kang: Jokes like that may make Zifeara feel uncomfortable._

_Jaehee Kang: Since women are not objects to be owned._

_Actually, I’d like to see Zen try. :Zifeara_

_Zen:_ **_Oh~?_ **

_I could put my foot so far up your ass that I’d leave shoeprints on the roof of that pretty mouth of yours~ :Zifeara_

_Try me, Romeo. :Zifeara_

_Zen: …_

_Zen:_ **_You’re feisty, aren’t you~?_ **

_Hahaha, excessively. Goodnight, you two. :Zifeara_

 

It really wasn’t that she didn’t like Zen, in fact he was growing on her, it’s just that sometimes he forgot how much she really didn’t give a shit about his flirting. She did like how he took the sass she handed right back to him in stride, though. It was one of the many things that endeared Fang to her in the first place. Speaking of, he came around the corner holding two plates of pancakes, holding the one with the massive pile of whipped cream out to her as he sat down, budging Lazarus off and out of his seat.

 

_“Who you talking to? More members of the Ridiculous Fiends Amalgamation?”_

 

“Haha, yes. Some of them are pretty ok, honestly. The pretty boy is half convinced he can win me away though. I may have just threatened to kick his ass, however.”

 

_“Who wouldn’t want a woman that could take them in a fight, though? Wrestling leads to fun times more often than not, you know. Rawr~”_

 

She shoved Fang so hard he almost dropped his pancakes onto the dog and they laughed, opting to watch a crappy old film about something being haunted or whatever.

 

When her phone dinged again halfway into the second movie, she sighed. Fang looked over at her phone and paused the film.

 

_“Do you want me gone or should I brace for impact?”_

 

She replied by leaning on her friend, causing him to put a supportive arm around her shoulder. She was doing this.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

 

_Yoosung★: You’re here…_

_Yoosung★: I was reading what Zen said and I don’t really understand what he means._

_Yoosung★:_ **_I like you, Zifeara._ **

_Yoosung★: The reason is because you have all of Rika’s strengths._

_Yoosung★: Isn’t it natural for me to like you then?_

 

Fang inhaled sharply next to her. Lazarus sensed the disturbance in the force and chose that moment to slink away into the kitchen for water.

 

_Yoosung, you can not confuse me with her… :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I’m not confusing you with anyone._

_Yoosung★: I knew from the beginning that you were a different person._

_Yoosung★: You were my LOLOL partner first._

_Yoosung★: And…_

_Yoosung★: Rika was such an awesome person. Even though she’s no longer in this world…_

_Yoosung★: She always took an interest in me even with the tiniest things._

_Yoosung★: I was able to do well in highschool because of her encouragement._

_Yoosung★: You’re just like her._

 

_“This kid is not doing well. He really doesn’t get it does he?”_

 

“No. No he doesn’t.”

 

Zifeara couldn’t keep the wavering anger out of her voice. She felt the first tear run down her cheek and she knew this wasn’t getting resolved tonight.

 

 _Yoosung★:_ **_You listen to what I have to say and give me courage, just like she did._ **

_Yoosung★:_ **_I really like that about you._ **

_I am not Rika, Yoosung. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I… know that._

_Yoosung★: But you two are so similar._

_Yoosung★: Even after the party ends, aren’t you trying to become an awesome person like Rika?_

**_I am not trying to become anyone. I’m trying to be me because I’m already an awesome person._ ** _:Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: No, no, that isn’t what I meant!_

_Yoosung★: You’re continuing her legacy, that’s all._

_Yoosung★: I just can’t think about you without thinking of Rika._

_Well then maybe the thought of your cousin can keep you company instead since we’re so interchangeable. :Zifeara_

_Good to know I was never all that special. :Zifeara_

 

_Zifeara has left the chatroom_

 

Zifeara threw her phone into the armchair across the living room and finally let out the sob that had been threatening to escape for the better part of 5 minutes now. Fang picked her up and put her in his lap, holding her together as she quickly fell apart. Even Lazarus poked his head back in from the kitchen and padded up to the couch, jumping up and laying himself as close to inside this little huddle as he could. He remembered that noise and knew it needed dog cuddles as well as cuddles from his master. Dogs fixed everything.

 

***

 

“ _Hello? Yoosung?”_

 

He hated to do this, he really did, but this was bad. He’d made everything worse. So much worse. He had tried texting Zifeara since she clearly had clearly no intention of taking his phone calls, but it looked like there was no persuading her. He needed advice from someone who’d done this before.

 

“Zen, I… I fucked up. Badly.”

 

_“Yeah? What’s going on?”_

 

“You should… read the chat log. Zifeara was just here... and well…”

 

One quick pause later and Zen gave a sigh that sounded less sympathetic than Yoosung would have liked.

 

_“Let’s start easy. Do you understand why she’s upset with you?”_

 

“Uhm… I thought I did, but I guess not entirely. When I tried to explain, I just made it worse, so let’s say no.”

 

_“Ok, let’s try this: Before Zifeara came to the RFA, she had a guy she was deeply in love with but they broke things off. Then she meets you but every time she talks about you, she talks about that other guy and how much you remind her of him. How do you feel?”_

 

“That’s… totally different. Rika was my cousin, not my ex.”

 

_“But he was so special to her and Rika was very special to you. You can’t get her to stop talking about this guy, but she says she likes you. Now come on, how do you feel right now?”_

 

“I’m…”

 

Thinking about Fang. He’s Zifeara’s best friend. Supposedly. They sounded so close and they make each other laugh all the time. She talks to him a lot. She’s never compared them, but still Yoosung didn’t like talking about him. Was this what Zen was trying to do?

 

“I’m kinda uncomfortable. Like I don’t like this guy. There has to be a reason Zifeara didn’t stay with him, right?”

 

_“It was all on his end. He left her unexpectedly and she never saw him again. He was such a good guy and was always there for her but one day he just- pop- disappeared. She was heartbroken and she misses him a lot. And then there’s you. You remind her so much of him.”_

 

“Ok, ok. I… I think I understand. Zifeara is mad at me because I keep comparing her to Rika. And even though Rika was great and wonderful in many of the same ways Zifeara is… She doesn’t want to hear that? Because she isn’t the same person.”

 

_“Sort of. You’re on the right track. Ugh, I don’t know how better to explain this… I’m not as good with explanations as Jaehee. Zifeara would probably be good at this too, but… You know.”_

 

“That makes me feel kind of better, but kind of worse too… Thank you, Zen. For trying. I’ll try to understand and sleep on it. Have a good night.”

 

Hanging up, all Yoosung could really do was get ready for bed. He still had class tomorrow and Zifeara would probably be even madder if he didn’t go. Why was this so hard? Everything had gone so well up until this point. Maybe it _was_ his fault? He needed to rest. All of this was starting to give him a headache. Laying down, he stared at the texts he had sent her.

 

**To Zifeara**

**Zifeara, that isn’t what I meant at all. You aren’t interchangable, I was just trying to say that you both have very good qualities that I admire. No one could replace you.**

 

**To Zifeara**

**Please, just let me call you so we can actually talk about this. Clearly I’m not good at doing this through words on a screen. If you hear my voice you’ll know I really mean what I’m saying. I don’t want to keep hurting you, I just want to fix this.**

 

**To Zifeara**

**I’ll call you again in the morning, but if you calm down and want to talk before then,** **_please_ ** **call me first. I don’t care when it is, I just want to hear you…**

 

He was so hopeless. Yoosung could feel his eyes start to burn and he didn’t care how very unmanly it was; he just let himself cry. Who was around to give him shit for it right now? Sometimes it really was the best way to deal with what you were feeling. It wasn’t for very long, but long enough that he felt better enough to fall asleep. Long enough that he missed when Zifeara came into the chatroom and talked to Seven.

It was very lucky that he had fallen asleep on his phone. If he hadn’t the dragon wouldn’t have woken him up. He was groggy and at first he thought he was hearing things. But there it was, her little icon shining like a lighthouse in a storm.

 

**From Zifeara**

**You can call me right now, but only so I can hear your voice. I don’t want to talk about any of this right now. I’m too tired. You say the R-word once and I swear I’m not going to the party.**

 

He’d take whatever she’d give him right now.

 

“Zifeara? What are you doing awake this late? ...Nevermind, that’s a stupid question. What… what did you have for dinner?”

 

He’d talk about anything right now just to hear her. Just to make sure she didn’t sound as bad as he felt. Unfortunately, she sounded worse.

 

_“Pancakes. I’m- Lazarus, no, down. Siiit. Sorry, I’m… at Fang’s. I couldn’t stay in… in the apartment tonight. Besides, Fang has a big fluffy Malamute to cuddle, so this is my happy place. Were you asleep? You sound like you were.”_

 

“It doesn’t matter. I would have picked up if I were trapped on a sinking ship… Things get so quiet late at night. You can almost hear the clock tick… So I think I get more sentimental because of it.”

 

He got up and moved to the window in his room, looking out at the night and imagining her doing the same. He really didn’t like to think about how she’d run to another guy when she was upset, but he was her best friend. She would have done the same if Fang were a girl. Was this what Zen was talking about?

 

“I’m… I’m looking at the night sky. I hope we’re both looking at the same direction.”

 

_“My favorite time of day is deep in the night like this. Long after the sun has set and still quite a while before it comes up again. The stars look so pretty right now. In some places the colors of the galaxy shine through.”_

 

“I’m sure your eyes shine just as bright. Just like your beautiful heart. I bet I won’t be able to escape your eyes… They’ll be like a black hole and I won’t hesitate to get lost in them. I… I still can’t wait to meet you. I want to look up at this sky with you. During your favorite time, just the two of us. And make good memories.”

 

He was waxing sappy again, but he didn’t care. Anything he could say to make Zifeara at least a little happier right now. Clearly anything less than the most cringeworthy things couples say to each other wouldn’t do right now with the kind of day they had. She had laughed earlier when he had said such things, so maybe he could get her to at least smile now. He heard a slight thump and a soft sound that made him picture Zifeara flopping down on a bed or a chair or something. He went to ask if she was ok, but he got an answer before that.

 

_“Haha, we went outside to look at the stars better, but Lazarus won’t get off me. Even after moving him, he still flopped back down on my lap. He’s a good dog. I love dogs. You know, all the stars we see right now are just images of what they were in the past.”_

  
“Hahaha, I was just about to say the same thing about the stars. Even if someone were to look at us from those stars, they’ll be seeing our past… The past and present are one in the sky. I really want to see you tonight… I hope my feelings come across through this phone call. About… everything. I do really care about you, you know… Even if… I need time to get everything right. Thank you for at least letting me hear your voice… I feel a bit better and I hope you do too. And… I’m sorry. I’ll try to be better tomorrow than I was today. You should get some sleep, so I’ll stop taking your time. Goodnight… my precious one.”


	10. Everything is Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all come to this; things finally get resolved. But the RFA being RFA, there's always something amiss... It's bomb day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who had an all nighter with their roommate last night? I did! So more story for all.  
> Sorry this one is really dialogue heavy, but it had to be for the sake of story.  
> This was a rollercoaster to write, but was one of the most fun chapters for character development stuff, so yay.

For a few blissful hours, Zifeara slept like she was dead. She had really needed the rest and it was glorious. And then she was brought crashing back to consciousness by something very heavy pressing the air from her lungs. And what sounded like yelling but in a very familiar voice.

 

_“Goddamnit, Lazarus, come here! I said no!”_

 

The dog got off her after doling out a few licks and more annoyance from his person and Zifeara could sit up. For a brief moment, she was so groggy she forgot why she was at Fang’s house. Then the dull ache in her skull reminded her that she’d been very, very upset last night. Fang sighed from the doorway and pushed the dog out of the room, closing the door behind him so there would be no more fluffy intrusions. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he grinned sheepishly.

 

_“I was trying to check on you and see if you wanted breakfast, but you know how Laz is. Anything different and he has to be up in everything. Luckily I don’t work today because since I was on the couch, he wanted to stick his nose in my face all night. The little shit. How are you feeling?”_

 

“Like Hell if I’m honest, but I’ve also been worse. I at least got some sleep, so that’s a plus. I’ll have breakfast since I’m awake, but I should get back to the apartment after that, okay?”

 

_“Sure, I’ll take you home whenever. I was making oatmeal and bacon with coffee. Sound good?”_

 

“Definitely.”

 

She was so happy to have him. They really never could be anything other than the closest of friends, and it was so wonderful to have someone like that in her life. Considering she didn’t really have a family anymore, Zifeara really needed someone to turn to. He basically was her brother. She felt like he needed reminding. Fang went to get up, but she grabbed his arm and pulled, making him lose balance and fall over back onto the bed. She dropped herself on his chest, garnering an ‘oof’ and a raised eyebrow; likely wondering if all this nonsense in a week had finally broken his friend. Zifeara wrapped her arms around Fang’s neck and hugged tightly.

 

“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without my big brother. I love you, Kai.”

 

_“Yeah, yeah, don’t go soft on me. You have to be our fearless leader, you know. Haha, I love you too, sis. Now get off me before your poor boytoy gets jealous from here. I feel like that kid will never be ok with me since he’s having so much trouble with everything else.”_

 

***

 

Yoosung woke with a start. Something felt… off. Sure things weren’t going great right now anyway, but he had this weird feeling he couldn’t define. Like he woke up for a reason but couldn’t place it. It was pretty early. He could go back to sleep, but he was wide awake. Grabbing his phone, he realized people had been giving him advice all morning. He had just missed Zen who told him something similar to when Yoosung had called him, but the actor was clearly trying to word things better. Jahee had talked to Zifeara really early this morning too…

Zifeara seemed slightly less upset in text, but that didn’t mean she really was. There was an easy way to find out, but there was no guarantee she’d answer him. Plus he still wasn’t completely confident he had a grasp on the situation he was in. Yoosung had to get ready for school in a few hours, so he decided to get up and shower. He’d make breakfast and coffee and try to be ok today. And think about what everyone else was telling him. He was definitely in the wrong since the entire RFA was agreeing, which never happened for anything.

Today was Friday. All Yoosung had to do was get through today and he’d have a few days off from school so he didn’t have to deal with class at least. Then he could take time to more seriously think about everything. Today was a long one though, he had his usual classes and a lab to go to, so he wouldn’t be back till later. He could still check the chat, but it would be tight. He resisted the urge to text Zifeara. She had let him call last night, but he was very worried texting would push her. At least he could be sure coffee was happy to see him…

 

***

 

Zifeara was going to be so glad when she could stop seeing this place. She hadn’t been fond of Rika’s apartment to begin with, but now she missed home. Her house was nice and she knew where everything was and she missed her pet. Oh yeah, she hadn’t told Yoosung about Oxide… Ooops. He’d find out eventually. At least the poor thing required minimal care as it was. She quickly text Fang about stopping by her house since she’d just remembered and he agreed, so there was nothing to worry about.

Flopping over onto the bed, Zifeara thought about taking a nap. She’d been awake enough for breakfast, but she was already spent. Then she remembered to check the chatroom. She hadn’t been on since she and Jaehee had talked around 3 this morning. Zen and Jaehee were talking more to Yoosung than to her when they left messages, so she hadn’t missed anything crucial. Speaking of, Seven and Zen both popped up.

They talked about Zen’s cast getting taken off this morning and Zifeara thanked them both for leaving their advice for Yoosung. She told them they were helping and Seven said something about age as a privilege.

 

 _707:_ **_Don’t really like people who think age is privilege lol_ **

_Zen: I used to not like people like that but I guess I’m becoming one as I get older._

_Zen: I guess I was just being nosy._

_I guess Zen’s an old man now, lol. :Zifeara_

_Zen: That reminds me, Zifeara… How old are you?_

_707:_ **_Privacy protection_ **

_Zen, don’t you know it’s rude to ask a lady her age? :Zifeara_

_Lol, 23 :Zifeara_

_According to the profile on your fan site, I’m about 7 months older than you, lol :Zifeara_

_707: I try to protect u, and look what u do…_

_Zen: You…_

_Zen:_ **_You were on my fan site?!_ **

_I do my homework too, you know. :Zifeara_

_Seven isn’t the only one who’s a little too curious. :Zifeara_

 

And then suddenly they were on about Jumin and the cat again. Truth be told, Zifeara would have taken it if things weren’t damn near literally exploding around her daily. She had been thinking about getting either a cat or a dog recently so she’d have some more company while drawing, but hadn’t committed to it yet. Ah whatever, she’d ask Jumin about it after the party if the kitten was still an issue.

 

Zifeara wasn’t sure when she fell back asleep, but groggily scrambling around to answer her phone was the next thing she remembered. She froze when she realized what she’d done. She hadn’t meant to pick up for Yoosung until she was satisfied that he was starting to get over the cousin thing.

 

_“O-oh… I didn’t think you’d answer me…”_

 

“Mmm, I hadn’t meant to if I’m honest. I didn’t sleep much last night, so I must have fallen asleep. I answered my phone without really knowing it… I guess I’m just reflexively picking up at your ringtone now, haha… Alright, you got me. I still don’t want to deal with this until you think you’ve gotten it under control, but you’re probably just in between classes and don’t have long anyway, so what’s up?”

 

_“God, you know my schedule too well already. You’re right, I’m at lunch. I… I just wanted to take a chance on calling you in case you picked up. I… I miss you. You’ve already become such a huge part of my day.  I did call you for a specific reason too. I felt like you should know something that happened to me just now since I don’t want hide anything from you.”_

 

“Huh? Well now you have my interest. What happened?”

 

Zifeara had to admit, it was kind of hard to stay mad at Yoosung. She missed him too. She had no one to tease anymore. And no one to make that cute little nervous noise of his when she did.

 

_“My friends told me not to say this, but I just have to. Someone asked me out today.”_

 

“Well that’s new… You didn’t say yes, did you?”

 

_“Of course not! Even with what’s going on with us, you know where my heart’s at right now… I told her that I already have someone I like. She started crying and ran away and I felt really bad…”_

 

“Hahaha, so this is what it’s like to be Zen for a day. ‘I’m sorry, I have someone else I like. I can’t date you because… I’m the only one good enough for me.’”

 

She gave her best manly voice for Zen’s impression and she thought Yoosung was going to drop his phone. He laughed so hard his voice cracked into a squeak in a few places. God she loved his laugh.

 

_“Oh my god, haha… You know though, it also felt kind of good. It’s been a long time since someone asked me out like that. I… never even thought that I should let someone know that I like them or anything. There was this popular girl in our class when I was in middle school and my friend liked her. But there was this thing that was trending online then. If you fold 100 origami birds and write a message in them, the other person will ask you out first.”_

 

“Oh yeah, I remember that. People in my class would spend forever constantly folding cranes instead of doing their work. I think I was the only one who didn’t care at that age, haha.”

 

_“Yeah? Hyungsik saw that, oh his name is Hyungsik, and he asked me to help him. He already did about half and he was about to die. It takes a long time writing the messages but folding them took forever. So he asked me since he wanted to do it fast before someone asked her out first. I honestly thought to myself that he should do it on his own, but still, I helped him. I didn’t really think much of it at first, but reading his letters changed my heart.”_

 

“It must have been really sweet. Some of my classmates made me want to hurl, but some of theirs were actually pretty cute.”

 

_“I had no idea he had that side to him! He sounded so different than when he texted me.”_

 

“Well you aren’t exactly a cute girl, Yoosung.”

 

_“Hahaha, no, I’m not. Guys are kind of like that, though. They have two sides to them. I could really feel how much he liked her and how sincere he was. I couldn’t even laugh. Come to think about it, I think the whole process of folding up all those birds was showing the person’s love. It all starts with thinking about the other person. I think it’s really brave… to tell your feelings to the other person.”_

 

“Yeah, it is, especially when you don’t know what they’re going to say. Speaking of, though, if you helped your friend fold all those birds, aren’t you about halfway through the process yourself by now? Maybe you jinxed yourself by starting and never finishing, haha.”

 

_“Oh no, you think? Well, if that’s the case, maybe-”_

 

It sounded like Yoosung tripped on something and dropped his phone. It hadn’t sounded like he’d been moving but… When she heard someone on the other side, it was too far away to be the person talking into the phone directly and it definitely wasn’t her blonde. He sounded… bigger.

 

**_“Who are you talking to, loser? … Zifeara? Heeeey, isn’t that the name scribbled all over your stupid notebook? Ha ha ha, yeah right. Let’s see if she sounds as cute as you think she is.”_ **

 

You had to be kidding. Did adults really pick on each other? How childish. This hadn’t happened to anyone she knew when she was in college. But now there was a line being crossed. Zifeara may be mad at him, but Yoosung was still her knight. And right now he needed her to be his dragon. You did not mess with someone she liked. When whoever this asshole was addressed her, he seemed to be under the assumption that she hadn’t heard him just now.

 

**_“Hey, our buddy Yoosung dropped his phone just now. We were just talking about you earlier actually. He made you sound too good to be true, so tell me, sweetheart, are you real?”_ **

 

“Oh you bet I am. What was your name? I’d like to put a name to that strong voice of yours~”

 

**_“Most people call me Travis, but you can call me anytime.”_ **

 

“Hmmm, doesn’t ring a bell. Yoosung tells me about all of his friends, but it doesn’t seem like you’re on that list. Tell you what, how about you hand this phone back to my boyfriend and then take your head out of your ass and go fuck yourself. Sound good~? Besides, I only date smart guys, I don’t do neanderthals.”

 

The silence on the other end was so prevalent, she could just barely almost hear Yoosung. Who kind of sort of sounded like he was dealing with another one of them. Then the phone seemed to move away back to that distance where ‘Travis’ had thought she couldn’t hear him.

 

**_“Wow, nerd, your girlfriend is a massive bitch. Good luck with that piece of work. C’mon, Rich, we gotta go. I promised -”_ **

 

That sound was definitely the phone hitting the ground again as the jerk’s voice trailed off. There was a slight pause before Yoosung must have picked it up again. He sounded so mortified.

 

_“Zifeara… I… I really didn’t want you to find out about that… I just…”_

 

“Some people never grow up. They must be really, really unintelligent to rely on brute strength to push someone around like that. You ok?”

 

 _“Yes… Please,_ **_please_ ** _don’t mention this to any of the RFA guys, ok? Please? They already think I’m enough of a loser without knowing I still get bullied like a child. I didn’t want you to know either but… They’re a lot bigger than me and if I get caught fighting, even if I didn’t start it, I could get expelled…”_

 

So that’s why he wasn’t fighting back. She almost laughed at him worrying over getting expelled, but she contained it. He had a point, but he also wasn’t a girl. She would have kicked their asses and no one would have believed them if they said she did it. If she ever met those guys, she just might.

 

“Of course I won’t say anything. Besides, the only person in the RFA who could do anything about it if I told them is Seven, and I don’t think we’re at the point where he needs to get involved.”

 

_“Yeah, definitely not. Hey, I have to get back to class but… What did you say to him?”_

 

“Oh you know me; all bark, you don’t wanna know how hard I bite~”

 

_“Hahahaha, well whatever it was, it must have been good. The look on his face was priceless. Zifeara? Thanks. This is… the most normal we’ve been for a while now, funny enough. I promise when I call you later tonight, things will be better. Hopefully… see you later.”_

 

He was right. They were back to their old rhythm for a little bit there. He had better sort this thing with Rika out. Even though this kid was still getting beaten up at school and spent so much time playing videogames and had no idea what he wanted to do with himself, she really wanted to date him.

 

***

 

Yoosung got pizza on the way home. He’d really like to just forget about today and move on, but he still had a lot of work to do. Not to mention all the homework he had. He had almost made it back to his apartment before stopping. He was going to have to properly apologize to Zifeara once he knew for absolute certain what he was apologizing for. He was pretty sure he knew, but needed to find the right way to express it so there could be no confusion. Confusion was what made everything worse the last time. But what could he do for her from all the way over here?

All he could really do was send her pictures of things, so maybe he could give her something to draw. She told him she went to a park recently, maybe she drew plants as well as animals? Would… that was such a strange thought. Did getting a girl flowers count if you couldn’t physically hand them to her yet? If you just sent a picture of them?

 

When he settled in to eat, he checked the messenger. Jaehee had been on earlier and was… a little drunk. Probably. But she had said some of the nicest things he’d ever heard her say about anyone to Zifeara. She really was trying to help him… He read her messages over and over, trying to think of what to do with this new angle of things. Could he really do what she said so easily?

He didn’t get to consider it very long before Zifeara was in the chatroom. Maybe he should- Jumin was here too now. Oh good, Jumin went to a winery and he was drunk too. Right. That’s where Jaehee said she had gotten the bottle from. Oh well. Maybe Jumin would be good to talk to about this, drunk or not.

 

_I read what Jaehee said earlier… :Yoosung★_

_I’m… really thankful to Jaehee for giving me heartfelt advice. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Good. I’m glad you realize that’s what it was._

_Zifeara: Jaehee is cooler than I gave her credit for._

_I can tell how mature Jaehee is. :Yoosung★_

_Jumin Han: It’s not mature to give advice when you’re drunk._

_Zifeara: And yet that was the best advice anyone has given this entire time._

_Still… I finally understand for good. :Yoosung★_

_That I have to deal with the Rika inside of me… :Yoosung★_

_That it’s rude to try to find similarities between Zifeara and Rika. :Yoosung★_

 

All of it sort of clicked in Yoosung’s head as he was writing. This was it, wasn’t it? He had been clinging too hard to someone who wasn’t here anymore and trying imprint her onto someone who was here. And it was hurtful to Zifeara to… oh shit, he was essentially wishing Zifeara was Rika, wasn’t he? Why hadn’t he noticed this until right now? Everyone had been pointing it out for two days now, Zifeara had to go to Fang’s in tears because he was doing this, and he’d been completely ignorant this whole time. He just didn’t want to believe it. He was going to have to suck up to Zifeara _big time_ to make up for this.

 

_Jaehee’s much more of an adult… than I ever imagined… :Yoosung★_

_How can she explain it so nicely? :Yoosung★_

_Jumin Han: That’s because…_

_Jumin Han: Assistant Kang has lost someone important before._

_Zifeara: Oh no, her too?_

_Yeah… I never heard about that. :Yoosung★_

_Jumin Han: She lost her parents when she was young._

_Jumin Han: It was in her personal statement when she submitted her resume._

_Jumin Han: It’s only my guess that it’s related to what she said…_

_Jumin Han: Her mother passed away from an accident, and her father from a long illness._

_Jumin Han: Afterwards, she grew up at her cousin’s place._

_What!? :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Oh no… Poor Jaehee. That’s why she knew just what to say._

_Zifeara: I guess no one in the RFA is all sunshine, are they?_

_I never knew… That’s so sad. :Yoosung★_

_But… can you talk about her private life like this? :Yoosung★_

_Jumin Han: It’ll be fine._

_Jumin Han: She was fine talking about her parents when it came up at work._

_Jumin Han: And she didn’t hesitate to talk about it._

_Jumin Han: It’s not really a secret… but I’m not one to blabber about it._

_Jumin Han: But we’re all members._

_Okay… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Yoosung, if given some time, the sadness of the death of a loved one fades and what you’re left with is the happy memories of them._

_You… you sound like you’ve been through this as well… :Yoosung★_

_Thank you… Zifeara. :Yoosung★_

_Words like that help me a lot right now. :Yoosung★_

_I feel so torn. :Yoosung★_

_If I think about the fact that Rika’s never coming back to this world, I hate V so much. :Yoosung★_

_Jumin Han: Yoosung, how you feel is nothing strange._

_Jumin Han: When people experience the death of a loved one or part with someone important forever…_

_Jumin Han: they all get angry at first and search for a reason._

_Jumin Han: As time passes, they realize nothing will change what’s been done and go into despair._

_Zifeara: It hurts a lot at first and often you don’t know what to do._

_Zifeara: So you lash out at those around you and do things you don’t mean to._

_Jumin Han: But after enough emotion has been let out…_

_Jumin Han: Scars always heal._

_Zifeara: And when you look at them, you’re reminded of how strong you are to let them heal._

_Zifeara… :Yoosung★_

_I feel at peace when I listen to you… :Yoosung★_

_Your words give me such strength. :Yoosung★_

_Jumin Han: If it’s too hard for you, you can rely on people around you._

_Jumin Han: Although I’ve never done that before._

_Alright Jumin. :Yoosung★_

_Jumin Han: I hope Assistant Kang and my words don’t hurt you too much._

_Jumin Han: At times, good advice can be poison if the timing is wrong._

_No… I think it was what I needed to hear. :Yoosung★_

_Jumin Han: Rika was important to me too._

_Jumin Han: I was shocked when death touched upon a person around me._

_Jumin Han: Since I was still young and haven’t experienced many deaths._

 

Yoosung sometimes doubted Jumin felt anything at all, but now… This was unprecedented. Jumin talked of Rika’s death like he actually had been upset. Like he really did go through a process of dealing with it. And Zifeara… She sounded as though she understood too. Maybe someday he’d ask her who she lost… He apologized to her and excused himself to go process all of this. He was glad he’d gotten pizza. This was going to be a long night.

 

Holed up on his bed with his photo album again, Yoosung looked from the pictures of him with Rika to the bouquet of roses in the pitcher on his desk and thought about what Zifeara said. He didn’t want to think like that anymore, but what she had told him sounded so much like one of the sayings Rika had always loved throwing around. The main difference was, he was pretty sure Zifeara pulled what she had said straight from thin air as opposed to reading it somewhere before. ‘If given some time, the sadness of the death of a loved one fades and what you’re left with is the happy memories of them.’ He thought about how happy he was with Rika. Then thought about how happy he was now. They weren’t really the same happiness, the one he felt now was… greater. It was no use looking for that old happiness he wouldn’t get back when what he had now was stronger and more… He didn’t know the word he wanted. Maybe it was because Zifeara was his girlfriend and not his cousin. Well… hopefully she still would be. He did get her flowers.

 

He had ignored his phone when the chatroom told him it was active. He didn’t really want to talk to anyone else yet. That was until the phone made one of the two noises he couldn’t ignore.

 

**From Zifeara**

**How are you holding up?**

 

Were they on speaking terms again? Now that he knew he was wrong and was trying to fix everything, were they ok?

 

**To Zifeara**

**I’m ok. I knew this was going to be hard, but still. It could be worse. Are… are we at least kind of almost alright again? I… I really can’t tell you how much I miss talking to you and… I really need you right now.**

 

He read it over after he had already sent the text and it sounded kind of.. whiney. The last thing he wanted was to sound like a child after… after what happened today. He still couldn’t believe of all the times those assholes picked to do something like that, he had to be on the phone with Zifeara. He had talked to Seven on the phone like that last week and they had been nowhere to be found. Whatever.

 

**From Zifeara**

**Yeah. At least you’re trying now. I missed you a lot too, even though it wasn’t long. You’re a little shit though. You’re hard to be mad at.**

 

He chuckled a little. Maybe being cute wasn’t so bad after all. He doubted Zen was hard to stay mad at. That persuading tone of voice he had when he was trying to talk his way out of something always irritated Yoosung, and so far Zifeara hadn’t been taking any of his shit. Huh. She really hadn’t, had she?

 

**From Zifeara**

**Hey Yoosung?**

 

Hmm?

 

**To Zifeara**

**Yeah?**

 

Whatever she was typing was taking a while. It must either be long or important or she kept rewording it or all three. He set his phone down on the bed and went to go get a glass of water. He heard it go off while he was still in the kitchen, so she’d finally made up her mind. Picking the phone up as he downed half his cup, he opened her text. And dropped the cup. Yoosung almost choked on the water in his mouth as he tried to get out of the way of the small pond now forming on the floor. He was so lucky most of his glasses were plastic.

There on his phone was a picture. The girl in it was looking right at the camera, big indigo eyes looking dead at him. Her long black hair framed her face perfectly, her bangs slightly pushed to the side out of her way. She was grinning and oh my god.She must have just taken this since it looked like a selfie and the lighting in the room behind her was dim. She was gorgeous. Zifeara was absolutely gorgeous. She was… **_Oh shit_ ** … She was the girl… at the park… Last night Yoosung had been 50 feet away from _meeting_ Zifeara. If he had stared for 20 seconds less he would have gone close enough for her to notice him. She would have turned and seen him. She would have recognized him even though he didn’t know it was her. She would have said his name and he would have known it was her by her voice. He would have run to her. And she would have… probably slapped the hell out of him, actually.

Zifeara was very mad at him at the time, so it was honestly very likely for the best that didn’t happen. But really… he’d been so close and hadn’t known… At least he felt much better about how long he had stared at her… All this time he hadn’t stopped staring. He couldn’t believe her eyes were purple… like his but so much better. He couldn’t find a single thing wrong with her. Everything he had said about his type be damned. She **_was_ ** his new type. She was perfect.

 

***

 

Nothing ventured nothing lost. Zifeara figured there was no harm in this now. She went and turned the light on in the bathroom, trying to find an angle that didn’t make the dark circles under her eyes too obvious. She had promised him a picture of her, the least she could do was look alive in it. Finding a good angle, she took a deep breath. She was really nervous. She looked nothing like Rika. She would never be anything like Rika. He was going to be ok with this. He had to be.

She moved her hair over her shoulder and pushed her bangs out of her eyes. She needed to cut them again but had been too lazy to do it. And then life had more exciting plans than a haircut. She took the picture and stared at it a second before deciding this was as good as it gets. She hit send. And she waited.

He was probably doing the thing he did with the picture she drew him. He was in stunned silence. Being stunned could be good or bad. Everything could be bad. She was stuck here now with a literal bomb under her feet and that was still not the thing she was the most worried about. Maybe Fang was right. Maybe she was at _that_ level of crazy. She wondered if Yoosung knew about this yet? There was no way he did. He would have called her the second he got off the phone from screaming at Seven. The real question was, how long would he stare at that picture before he inevitably called her? She should keep track. It had been what, 5 minutes?

 

A grand total of 17 minutes and about 28 seconds and there it was.

 

“I told you so.”

 

_“Huh? What do you mean?”_

 

“That I look nothing like what you described to me. Or like Rika. I told you so. I’m way more…”

 

_“Perfect.”_

 

Did… did he just? What? There was no way she heard him right. All of this was finally getting to her. She was stroking out.

 

“Wh-what… what did you just say?”

 

_“You’re right, you don’t look like Rika. Rika was very pretty. You’re gorgeous. You’re nothing alike. Zifeara, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.”_

 

How was he doing that? Two days ago he couldn’t keep a steady tone of voice when she suggested they go on a date. Now it sounded like he was reading her something very interesting straight out of a textbook. The Hell? She wasn’t ready for this. Zifeara had steeled herself for the worst. She had forgotten to prepare for the best.

 

“I-I… Hahahaha!”

 

_“Why are you laughing? I’m serious. Everything I imagined while waiting for my test score was nothing compared to what you really look like. Seven is clearly more insane than I thought. ‘She’s really cute.’ He must not have been looking at what I’m looking at right now.”_

 

She was well beyond flustered. This time he broke _her_. He said he was serious and he sounded like it, but this couldn’t be Yoosung. Thinking about things too hard had morphed his brain into someone else. Either that or he had Zen somewhere telling him what to say.

 

“Yoosung, if you’re doing this to make up for making me feel bad about the type thing, don’t. I’m over it. I… I mean it.”

 

_“I mean it too. I haven’t said a thing I didn’t mean to this time. It took me so long to call you because… hehe. When I saw you I dropped the glass of water I was holding and had to clean it up. Seriously. You aren’t going to believe what I’m going to tell you…”_

 

“I mean, I’m already trying to figure out when Seven had time to build and replace you with a robot. You sound way too… composed right now to be the real Yoosung. The real Yoosung I can have stammering and in a puddle on the floor with no effort at all. Who are you and where’s my Yoosungie~?”

 

There it was. The chink in the armor. She was back on top.

 

_“I- I’m right here… and I was right there last night too.”_

 

“Excuse me?”

 

_“Last night I was… probably 50 feet from you. I went for a walk when nothing else I was doing to calm down was working and… I of course didn’t know it was you and Fang got there before you could see me…”_

 

“... **You’re shitting me.** ”

 

_“I felt really guilty for staring at the girl in the park while you were mad at me… I was staring at you. It’s kind of good we missed each other, though. You were mad and you probably didn’t want to see me right then anyway…”_

 

“That’s… that’s true. Still, what are the odds, though? Well… Now that’s out of the way. Um, you haven’t seen the chat logs lately, have you?”

 

_“N-no, should I have? What’s happened?”_

 

“Just talk to me a minute more before you read that. I… I don’t want you distracted yet, haha.”

 

_“Oh, uhm, ok. I… hehe, I don’t know why, but I just had a funny thought. If I could, I wish I could turn into a small puppy and run to you! You love dogs. Will you like me then?”_

 

“Hahaha, what? Like the one I drew? You do make such a cute puppy… You’re cute already, but such a cute puppy~”

 

Now she was making up for all the teasing she’d missed the past couple of days. She wasn’t expecting him to be so oddly into it though. He must have missed it when she teased him too.

 

_“Oh… I want to turn into that puppy right now after hearing you say that… I also think it’d be nice to turn into a huge watch dog and be there for you, though. You could sleep on me like I’m a pillow! I’ll protect you so that no one can even lay their fingers on you. I’d… I’d bite the shit out of Zen.”_

 

The only time she’d heard him curse while talking to her was over LOLOL, so this was an interesting change. He really didn’t like Zen being anywhere in her remote proximity, did he? Noted.

 

“ _Or I can be a small puppy, crouch on your knees and be all cute… hehe. Which would you prefer?”_

 

“Mmmm, you know, it doesn’t really matter. You can do all of that without being a dog at all. Just don’t bite Zen. That’s weird for people to do.”

 

_“I- Y-yeah, after the party… We- we can see each other for real and we can… we can have that sleepover. I… I really want that.”_

 

“Me too. Ok, I’ll talk to you in a minute. I think I’ve kept you from reading the chat long enough…”

 

***

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom._

 

_Well, this is all… rather upsetting. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I read Seven’s messages._

_Yoosung★: I’m so angry… that this is happening._

_Yoosung★: This has really gone too far._

_Yoosung★:_ **_If something ever happens to you…_ **

_Yoosung★: Ha…_

_Yoosung★: I can’t believe V isn’t here when this is happening…_

_Yoosung★: He is so irresponsible._

_There must be a reason that a bomb is what they went with. :Zifeara_

_Like, this had to be the only option, right? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: It’s strange that they went that far._

_Yoosung★: Even though information about the parties is important…_

_Yoosung★: Do you think the place holds other information?_

_Yoosung★: I have so many doubts I can’t stand it._

_Yoosung★: But…_

_Yoosung★: Right now when I’m talking to you, I don’t want to think about the worst case scenario._

_Yoosung★: I can only pray that Seven does his best to make sure you’re safe._

_Yoosung★: It’s so sad that there’s nothing I can do._

_Yoosung★: Can’t believe you’re in danger…_

_I’m not going to lie, I feel like it’s just one more thing on the pile. :Zifeara_

_I have the utmost confidence that Seven is working his ass off right now. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Zifeara… I’m so sorry I can’t protect you._

_Yoosung★: I’ve been thinking…_

_Yoosung★: And I want to tell you the conclusion I came up with._

_Yoosung★: And I want to say this right here in front of everyone else._

_Yoosung★: It’s time for me to… accept that Rika’s not in this world._

_Yoosung★: I spent so much time grieving in despair… and hating V._

_Yoosung★: But… Rika is not coming back. I’ve decided to try to accept her death…_

_Yoosung★: And be better to you, Zifeara_

_I feel like I’ve been waiting for you to say that for two days now. :Zifeara_

_I’m so glad you finally did. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Zifeara…_

_Yoosung★: It will take time, and I may be too emotional at times but…_

_Yoosung★: I’m going to try to bury her in my heart._

_Yoosung★: I feel like I can overcome anything with you by my side._

_Yoosung★: I felt thankful to all the members who gave me advice._

_Yoosung★: I liked you… partly because you were doing Rika’s work._

_Yoosung★: But it was wrong of me to feel that_

_Yoosung★: So I tried to see you just as who you are. Before the RFA work. When you were Dragon._

_Yoosung★: I tried to find the real reason why I liked you…_

_Yoosung★: I…_

_Yoosung★: feel so happy when I see your kind words… your messages._

_Yoosung★: You trust me, look forward to even the smallest things from me and lead me._

_Yoosung★:_ _Do you know… that every morning I can’t wait to start talking to you again?_

_Yoosung★: That I get so impatient that I call you without thinking, when I mean to only text?_

_Yoosung★:  I need to hear you._

_Yoosung★:_ **_Even at school… and even before I go to bed. I always wait for you._ **

_Yoosung★:_ **_And then… at one point I realized that you were a massive part of my day._ **

_Yoosung★: Although it hasn’t been long since we met_

_Yoosung★: ever since you came along, every day is exciting._

_Yoosung★: Now… if I dare to dream…_

_Yoosung★: I want you to think of me as a man._

_Yoosung★: Now since you are in danger… I want to protect you._

_Yoosung★: I desperately want to…_

_Yoosung★: I want to be someone you can rely and depend on._

_Yoosung★: Since you are… the most precious to me._

_You mean so so much to me too. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I’m so happy…!_

_Yoosung★: Thank you, Zifeara._

_Yoosung★: Although… we haven’t met…_

_Yoosung★: I don’t want another member, or something I can’t see to_ **_take you away from me._ **

_Yoosung★: I know very well that you are in danger._

_Yoosung★: I want to be your strength just as you are mine._

_Yoosung★: So… Zifeara…_

_Yoosung★:_ **_Be… my pre-girlfriend!_ **

_Yoosung★: So that nothing like this ever happens to you again…_

_Yoosung★: I… I want to give you my whole heart._

_Thought you’d never ask. I’ll trade you~ :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Wow…_

_Yoosung★: I’m so glad._

_Yoosung★: To be honest, I was a bit scared you’d reject me after… everything._

_Yoosung★: ...But does the word pre-girlfriend exist?_

_Yoosung★: This is embarrassing…_

_Yoosung★: I um… I got you apology flowers._

_[Yoosung with flowers]_

_Yoosung★: My face is this red._

_Yoosung★: I want to be your guardian, your real-life paladin._

_Yoosung★: Will you let me?_

_Of course. Only if you let me do the same for you. I may be a girl, but I can kick some ass. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Haha… Really…_

_Yoosung★: I’m so worried about you I can’t stand it._

_Yoosung★: I really hope Seven tries harder… so that you can be safe again._

_Yoosung★: My heart is beating so fast from the worry._

_Just calm down and try and get some sleep. I’m not going anywhere. :Zifeara_

_I couldn’t even if I wanted to, so settle down. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I should be the one to protect you and yet I’m the one being comforted._

_Yoosung★: How do you do it?_

_Well, we’ve both had a rough couple of days. We both probably look like Hell, too, haha. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I don’t know, I doubt you could ever look bad. I’ll get going, though._

_Yoosung★:_ **_Good night, Zifeara_ **

 

_Zifeara has left the chatroom_

_Yoosung★ has left the chatroom_

 

**To Zifeara**

**I love you**


	11. V for Vendetta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Yoosung and Zifeara are back to their old selves if not a little better, the emotional disarray is real. V's here and that means trouble!

Zifeara slept most of the morning. Even though there was literally a bomb underfoot and a hacker with seriously unfortunate intentions, the only things Zifeara woke up for were the chatrooms and saying good morning to Yoosung. He had slept in a little too since it was Saturday, but he still sounded far more active than she was when he called. For he always called. Now at least things were a semblance of normal. He was dealing with his cousin in his own way on his own time.

 

_“Good morning! Did you sleep well?”_

 

“Yeah, I did now. It’s weird, I slept more easily with the bomb thing going on than I did with us fighting… I think I might be crazy, haha.”

 

_“Hehe, no, you couldn't be. That is a little strange though… I kinda feel bad about that. Let’s not talk about that first thing in the morning, though… Ah, it’s so nice to hear your voice this early again. Did you eat?”_

 

“I was just about to make breakfast. Did you?”

 

_“I have a meeting with the barista club today, so I got a sandwich at the convenience store. I bought a couple set where two sandwiches were taped side by side so I could have one for later too and that reminded me of you. It would have been so nice if we went to the same school and shared each sandwich.”_

 

“Haha, yeah, it would be fun. Although, once all this mess is done, I could bring you lunch once in awhile and eat with you~”

 

_“Oh, you mean it?! That would be amazing! I… This is so childish, right…? Haha, I like these small, childish things.”_

 

“To be honest, I do too. I can’t bring you lunch if you don’t keep working hard, though. You have to keep getting better at your classes, okay?”

 

_“Yes. I’m going to study really hard from now on. Gonna be a super good student~ You don’t know when your girlfriend will need you, so I want to have all the knowledge in the world! I’m going to be a smart man so that you can be proud of me! Look forward to it.”_

 

“Yoosung, I don’t have to look forward to that, you already are smart. You just have to _use_ that brain of yours where it counts. Homework is boring, but I know you can get through it.”

 

_“Zi-Zifeara… Uh, I um, I don’t think I ever really thanked you. For thinking that way, I mean. Since I play games all the time, I feel like everyone thinks I’m stupid… It makes a huge difference for someone- you especially- to say that…”_

 

“I almost never lie unless it’s something unimportant, like telling a friend they look good in a dress they like even though I think the dress is hideous or something like that. Little things. You being smart is not a little things. If you didn’t have a brain in there somewhere, I would have never had any interest in you in the first place~ Now go do your coffee thing. I’m just drawing more today, so I’ll let you know if anything happens around here.”

 

_“Mmm,okay. I’ll call you later. Have a good day!”_

 

Once he hung up, Zifeara got out of bed and took a quick shower, just to get a little more awake for the day. It was almost 10:30 when she got out, so she checked the chat to see if Zen had found anything more on his stalker or anything else had happened before she settled in to draw. Guess who was the only one on?

 

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

 

_Funny meeting you here already :P :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Haha, I just got to the university and am waiting for the meeting to start._

_Yoosung★: I was thinking…_

_Yoosung★: Can’t believe I got a girlfriend before anyone else lol_

_Well, you’re sweet, funny, smart, and cute. :Zifeara_

_It takes someone very... special to handle Jumin :Zifeara_

_Jaehee works all the time :Zifeara_

_Zen is himself :Zifeara_

_Seven lives in a dungeon and is pretty… unique :Zifeara_

_It’s no wonder ^^; :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: You aren’t wrong, but_ **_I feel like I’ve won!_ **

_Well that’s because you did. You started picking yourself up and that’s the hardest part. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: How do you always make me feel good?_

_Yoosung★:_ **_I’m always a winner if you’re by my side._ **

_Yoosung★: But do you think Zen really has a stalker?_

_I mean, it isn’t completely illogical, so I believe him. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: If Zen gets in danger too…_

_Yoosung★: RFA will have its biggest crisis ever._

_I just hope nothing serious happens T_T :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Yeah, I’m worried... since he’s pretty popular._

_Yoosung★: I guess we’ll have to wait a couple days to find out._

_Yoosung★: I seriously hope for his sake he’s just imagining things._

_Yoosung★:_ _Even if it’s a fan, a stalker can’t be a sane person._

_Yoosung★: Hurting his ankle and all that…_ _I think Zen might be working too much._

_I feel like everyone needs a break… :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Hmm… I actually want to be more busy._

_Yoosung★:_ **_Since all I did was rest the whole time till you came to RFA. haha_ **

_Yoosung★: Because of you, I wake up every day wanting to work harder now._

_Yoosung★: One of the many reasons I like you Zifeara…_

_Haha, I can’t wait to meet you. It’s only three days now… :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Right?_

_Yoosung★: I’m so happy…_

_Yoosung★: Speaking of!_

_Yoosung★:_ **_I’m dressing differently from today on too!_ **

 

Well this was interesting. She had never seen Yoosung wear such dark colors before. She almost stopped herself from giggling but didn’t quite manage. This was because of how much black she was wearing in the picture she sent him, wasn’t it? It was adorable that he was trying to match her theme.

 

_Yoosung★: I have to look the part to be your boyfriend, right?_

_I’ve never seen you in that much black before, haha. :Zifeara_

_We’d look like a matching set~ :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★:_ **_I feel so happy I can barely breathe._ **

_Yoosung★: No matter how nice my clothes are…_

_Yoosung★: Your compliments give me wings ^^_

 

He was trying to be cute. Two could play at that game.

 

_But Yoosung, you’ll look too angelic with wings. You can’t date a devil like me looking like that! :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: How could you be a devil?_ **_You’re too lovely for that~_ **

_Mmm, you say that now, wait till we spend some time together~ :Zifeara_

 

Yep, there it was. She broke him. That took a moment to sink in, but when it did, it was priceless.

 

_Yoosung★: I… you… oh._

_Yoosung★: You- you can’t s-say things like that when I’m in public!_

_Hahaha, I can’t help it, you’re fun to tease! :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Ugh…_

_Yoosung★: I’m desperately waiting… for the day we finally get to meet._

_Yoosung★: This is all a bit cringeworthy, isn’t it?_

_That’s what everyone else gets for giving you so much shit all this time. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: You’re so sweet. I want to see you, Zifeara._

_Yoosung★: I hope the bomb disappears soon._

_Yoosung★: Can’t believe they placed a bomb where people live…_

_Yoosung★: It’s ridiculous and it makes me so mad._

_It’ll be solved soon. Seven is working really hard, so don’t worry too much. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★:_ _Good things will happen once you overcome this._

_Yoosung★: I’ll do my best to do whatever I can for you._

_Thank you, Yoosung. Just being here like this makes me feel better. :Zifeara_

_My cute, coffee-serving paladin~ :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★:_ **_I love every single word you say._ **

_Yoosung★: Right now… I’m sorry I can’t do anything else…_

_Yoosung★: But I’m just a phone call away._

_Yoosung★:_ **_So just hold on a bit longer..!_ **

_Yoosung★: Once this is taken care of, there will never be another bomb._

_Yoosung★: Believe in RFA._

_Yoosung★: Ah, looks like everyone is here, so I should go…_

_Okay, talk to you later :3 :Zifeara_

 

That out of the way, she started on her drawings for the day. She and Fang and Mal had been playing a lot of LOLOL lately, so she was working on all their characters. She had a good group picture of the three of them going and worked on it tirelessly for the rest of the day. She, Zen, Jaehee and Jumin had a conversation about the stalker, which of course Jumin didn’t believe was real. Whatever. Around lunchtime, Seven was back. At least this time he had news.

The bomb wasn’t going to go off, but V said it had to stay for unspecified reasons. At least once the party happened she would never have to come back to this place ever again. Drawing kept her from worry about anything too much, so Seven logged off to go find the nutcase that was trying to infiltrate the RFA. She figured she should let Yoosung know what Seven said since he was more worried than she was, so she shot him a quick text and kept working.

From about 3:30 onwards, everything went to Hell in a handbasket again. Yoosung had been gone all day, but once he got back and read what V had said about the bomb… it took both her and Zen to convince him to calm down a little. He was furious. It was understandable, but all things considered, this had been a pretty shit week for his emotions. It seemed like everything was falling apart around here. While he went off to go calm down at their urging, Zifeara simply waited. Today was tuning out to be an interesting day for everyone else, but she was still where she’d been all day, doing what she was always doing.

 

***

 

This was insanity. Why couldn’t anything settle down around here? This was because something good had finally happened to him, wasn’t it? Yoosung couldn’t _be_ calm. He knew Zifeara wanted him to settle down, but he just couldn’t. Not with everything that V was dumping on them right now. Pacing around the room, he tried to think of something, anything he could do to stop himself from losing his mind. What Yoosung wanted right now, more than anything, was to just go get Zifeara and get out of here. Away from the bombs, away from the hackers, and away from fucking V. He had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen, though. He could already hear her telling him that was a stupid thing to do.

He had just gotten home not that long ago, but now he wanted to be anywhere but. The blonde put his shoes back on and left, just walking wherever his feet seemed to take him. Moving seemed to be the only way to keep from screaming and was preferable. He just kept going, trying to put all the pieces together in any way they’d fit, thinking so hard about why V would be doing this and what could have really happened to his cousin. He had no idea how long he’d been walking, but by the time he was finally paying attention to where he was, he had turned up at the park he saw Zifeara in. She must be close to here. He had tried to put himself close to her…

He didn’t know when he found out he liked to climb trees as a kid, but it was something he had never really grown out of. Being up in the branches made it feel like he was high above anything that could bother him; like problems couldn’t climb. If you went high enough, the view alone could make you forget everything else for a while. The tree he liked in that park was really tall and had strong limbs, so he made it probably a good three stories high before the branches couldn’t support his weight if he kept going. Being small had its advantages, just like Zifeara said.

Yoosung stayed up there for a couple of hours, letting his mind process everything around him before trying to think of happier things. The particular branch he was on was still thick enough so that he could sit with his knees drawn up to his chest so he did, curled up in his own little world. He just had to wait three days and he would be able to meet Zifeara. That was something good. Oh man, what would he say to her? They could always converse so easily over the phone, but how would he keep his cool when she was right there? When he could reach out and touch her? He should bring her something. The roses on his desk would be dead by then, so it would have to be something else. What would she wear? He knew she would look amazing in anything, but it was probably black whatever it was.

He smiled into his knees. She was less Zen’s kind of princess and more of his kind after all; not the foofy, girly, dainty princess the actor seemed to always describe. Zifeara was the ass kicking, sharp witted, warrior princess of his wildest… well, fantasy fantasies. That didn’t even make sense, but she would probably have known what he meant. She usually did. Yoosung sighed, noticing the sun was starting to go down. He should get home. Carefully lowering himself back down from the perch, he started the walk home, thinking more seriously about what he was bringing his soon-to-be-girlfriend for their first meeting. Oh… oh god. He was going to officially ask Zifeara to date him. He knew her answer but just the thought sent a red hot flush through his whole face. This was going to be hard. He would have to do this right.

 

**To Zifeara**

**Do you even like roses? I got you the ones in the picture from the other day on my way home as an impulse, but I never thought to ask…**

 

It wasn’t like he couldn’t ask her. This was an easy question, if a little random to just ask out of the blue. She wouldn’t care.

 

**From Zifeara**

**And that was really sweet of you. If I’m honest? No ^^;**

 

Damn it.

 

**From Zifeara**

**Lilies are my favorite, especially the orange tiger lilies. I love the way they smell~**

 

That sounded so like her, though. Roses were what every girl liked, and Zifeara was definitely not every other girl. He was about to respond, but she was on a tangent now.

 

**From Zifeara**

**Truth be told… I actually hate diamonds, too. They’re really boring and are better used for industrial purposes. I’m… a weird girl XD**

 

**To Zifeara**

**Yes, but you’re about to be my girl. When I graduate and start working, I’m going to need to know what to get you anyway.**

 

He almost put his phone back in his hoodie pocket before he realized how that sounded. He stopped walking. Get her for _what_ , Yoosung you _absolute moron_?! Oh god, this was not going to be good. She was going to take this the wrong way. She was being too quiet not to. She was a fast texter. Forget how red his face had been a minute ago, now he had to be a color to put lobsters to shame. She was going to give him so much shit for saying something about propo-

 

**From Zifeara**

**Opals.**

 

...What? No teasing? No snarky comment about getting ahead of himself? No _nothing_? That was a blessing, but it was a little… worrying. Shoving his phone back in his pocket and starting to move again, Yoosung was hoping to let the cooling night air chill him down. He felt hot all over now. Opals, huh? Of course they were her favorite. They were vibrant and radiant, and stunningly beautiful, just like her.

 

Getting back home, he heard the chatroom ding. It had a few times while he was out, but now he could properly have a conversation. He was much calmer now. Taking his shoes off and sitting down, he opened the messenger up. Oh come on.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

 

_Zifeara: Well, there you go V. Let’s have it._

_V: I assume Zifeara is very angry at me as well._

_Do you understand this situation? :Yoosung★_

_That you’re harming someone who’s important to me?! :Yoosung★_

_V: It’s been a while._

_Of course it’s been awhile, you’re never here. :Yoosung★_

_Please… explain properly what’s happening. :Yoosung★_

_V: I heard that you are very angry with me…_

_Zifeara: For a very good reason._

_Can’t we talk about this on the phone? :Yoosung★_

_Do we have to do this here? :Yoosung★_

_V: I’m not able to talk on the phone._

_You talk to Seven all the time… :Yoosung★_

_V: I have a reason._

_Still suspicious. :Yoosung★_

_V: Right now, this messenger is more reliable than my phone._

_Zifeara: What do you mean?_

_V: I can’t use my phone._

_Why? :Yoosung★_

_V: For security reasons._

_?! :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: You aren’t saying… your phone is bugged or something, are you?_

_V: ...Since that may be the case._

_What in the world… :Yoosung★_

_V: I’m not saying that’s the case. I only want to be careful._

**_Do you think I’d believe that? :Yoosung★_ **

_Really… I expected this. This how you always are. :Yoosung★_

_V, what the Hell is actually happening right now? :Zifeara_

_V: Nothing is happening, for now._

_Zifeara: You wanna be more specific for me? You know what I mean, V._

_What do you mean ‘for now’? Zifeara has a right to know. :Yoosung★_

**_She has to know who’s trying to harm her!_ ** _:Yoosung★_

_V: It’s best not to assume that the person is aiming for Zifeara. Who the hacker is… I still don’t know all of it._

 

Of course V wasn’t going to answer for anything. Yoosung felt so foolish for thinking that anything would be resolved. V could never seem to talk about anything of importance. The RFA was falling apart again and there was nothing V was going to say about it. The floodgates were opening now. Yoosung hadn’t been this genuinely angry probably since Rika had actually passed. He had never liked V and now he knew why. V was a massive coward.

 

**_I can’t stand it any longer._ ** _:Yoosung★_

_You were like this about Rika too. :Yoosung★_

_You never told me a word about what happened that drove Rika to kill herself… :Yoosung★_

_You just said things were complicated.. :Yoosung★_

_V: We’ve talked enough about that already._

_Zifeara: Apparently you haven’t and it’s been causing Yoosung a lot of pain._

 

Even Zifeara had his back on this one. After all he had put her through about Rika… she still understood he needed this…

 

_Rika… would never have killed herself. :Yoosung★_

_I’m sure about that! :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: What did you have for evidence of her cause of death?_

_Nothing! :Yoosung★_

_There wasn’t a witness… a will, not even a body._ _:Yoosung★_

_She just disappeared, and while I was grieving all V said… :Yoosung★_

_was that she threw herself into the ocean. :Yoosung★_

_Of course I couldn’t accept it. :Yoosung★_

_I’ve endured it… long enough. :Yoosung★_

_To be honest I wanted nothing to do with you but I withstood it… :Yoosung★_

 

The tears were flowing from his eyes as quickly as the words he was typing on the screen formed. He was done with this facade. Who cared if Rika loved V. Good people made bad choices all the time.

 

_V: Do you want to have the same conversation all over again?_

_I will as many times as I want! :Yoosung★_

_Do you get that I really hate you? :Yoosung★_

_V: I know that you do not like me…_

_That isn’t what I said! I don’t ever want to see you again. :Yoosung★_

_I mean it. :Yoosung★_

_I never want to see you but I have to. :Yoosung★_

_Since all I have is the RFA that Rika left. :Yoosung★_

_If I never want to see you again :Yoosung★_

**_I’ll have to leave RFA_ ** _:Yoosung★_

_V: Can you calm down a bit before we talk?_

_V: I understand enough how difficult it was for you after Rika left._

_Zifeara: No, V. He’s been waiting for you long enough, you need to hear him out._

_So what if you completely understand? :Yoosung★_

_I’ve asked you so many times to tell me why she killed herself :Yoosung★_

_or at least… if you don’t know the reason :Yoosung★_

_then just give me proof that she’s gone but all you did was ignore me! :Yoosung★_

_V: As I have repeatedly said there is no evidence._

_V: Rika is no longer here where we want her to be._

_V: You must accept that, although it’s painful._

_Accept it although it’s painful? :Yoosung★_

_So you are in pain? :Yoosung★_

_V: Yes. I’ve told you several times._

_Do you really think all I feel is pain? :Yoosung★_

_My life has been a trainwreck since she died._ _:Yoosung★_

_You didn’t think that I was happy to just go to school and play games, did you? :Yoosung★_

**_Before Zifeara came into the RFA, I had nothing in my life._ ** _:Yoosung★_

_Even now I spend most of my time trying to get over the sadness of her death. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara and I just had a fight over how much I can’t let go of Rika. :Yoosung★_

_My future? Plans? :Yoosung★_

**_That’s a luxury for me._ ** _:Yoosung★_

_Even smiling or trying to live a normal life feels hard. :Yoosung★_

_V: Please…_

_V: Just let go of what happened to Rika._

_V: I told you before… time will heal all wounds._

_V: People are forgotten._

_V: This is for the best. The remaining ones just have to live on happily._

_V, you do not forget people who were important to you. :Zifeara_

_Zifeara: At least you shouldn’t. If you do things right, you come back to their memory smiling._

_V: Right now, this is what’s best._

_You mean best for you?_ _:Yoosung★_

_Don’t you care at all about how I feel? About my broken life? :Yoosung★_

_I can’t trust you anymore. :Yoosung★_

_Even her cause of death is uncertain and you placed a bomb where she lived and you left Zifeara in that danger_ _:Yoosung★_

_I can’t let that happen._ _:Yoosung★_

_If I could turn back time… I would have done everything to make sure that you and Rika never got together. :Yoosung★_

_V: …_

_Just say anything. Please… :Yoosung★_

_Anything about her death, about the bomb. :Yoosung★_

_I can’t stand this any longer. :Yoosung★_

 

The raw anger was giving was giving way to a more defined rage. Now it was forming into a righteous fury. V had put the only good thing in his life on the line like it was nothing. He had for so long done whatever he wanted and had refused to let anyone have any sort of closure. He was why Yoosung couldn’t move on from Rika’s death. V was the reason everything had been so hard for so long.

 

_V, now is not the time to be reserved. :Zifeara_

_At least… :Yoosung★_

_At least I want to protect Zifeara… :Yoosung★_

_If you know what it feels like to want to protect someone you love… :Yoosung★_

_Please answer me, V… :Yoosung★_

_V: Yoosung, I’m sorry._

_Don’t just tell me you’re sorry. :Yoosung★_

**_What I want is answers for once!_ ** _:Yoosung★_

_Why can’t you understand that? :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: V, you need to answer some of Yoosung’s questions._

_Zifeara: Now._

_V: Honestly... that’s what I came here for._

_V: You may not be satisfied with the answers I give you…_

_Just tell me anything, V… :Yoosung★_

_I feel like I’m about to die! :Yoosung★_

_V: Alright._

_V: I’ve said all I can tell you about Rika._

_V: She has left us and is never coming back.._

_I knew it. Fine, then, just answer this. :Yoosung★_

_Why was the bomb placed there?_ _:Yoosung★_

_V: That’s…_

_Are you really going to brush over it without giving any answers?_ _:Yoosung★_

_V: No, I was going to explain it to you._

_V: The bomb…_

_V:_ **_was placed by Rika’s request._ **

_Zifeara: You’re serious?_

_What in the world… happened? :Yoosung★_

_V: It was probably after the last party._

_V: As you know, the last party we had…_

_V: A lot of powerful guests attended_

_V: The information of the guests is valuable._

_V: After the party, there was an attempt to_ _hack the system and steal all the guest information, so she worried a lot about that._

_V: Since the apartment held all the physical information about the guests, she said they’d invade it one day._

_V: So she asked for a switch to destroy all the information if things went that far._

_V: That is why there is a bomb placed there._

_Do you think it makes sense to place a bomb inside a building? :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Why would you let her do that?_

_V: At the time, it felt like all we could do. Rika strongly convinced me._

 

The rest of the conversation went by in a blur. Rika never went back to the apartment after the bomb was placed there, so at least she was never in danger from it. V affirmed that he thought the hackers were back and connected whoever led Zifeara there to them. He said he left the bomb there for now because the hackers may be part of a larger group of people than previously thought, so threatening them with a bomb was the best way of ensuring Zifeara was safe. She was taking all of this rather well, actually. Of course she was. She was an angel. His angel. Who was still in danger because of a million and one stupid decisions V had made. These were all the answers V was willing to provide. And then V said to wait for him to take care of everything. He thought he was protecting them. He wanted to know what Zifeara wanted to do. If she was angry, he was going to rip V’s throat out.

 

_Zifeara… what do you think? :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: As much as I don’t know how correct V’s decisions are…_

_Zifeara: I don’t feel like he has any bad intentions._

_Alright. If that’s what Zifeara thinks… :Yoosung★_

_I’ll think this through again. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara, I’m so sorry you got involved in all of this. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: It’s okay, Yoosung. It hasn’t all been bad._

_You still didn’t even explain her death properly… How could I have faith in you? :Yoosung★_

**_She wasn’t even mentally ill! She was not depressed enough to kill herself!_ ** _:Yoosung★_

_V: She was._

_Zifeara: What did you just say…?_

 

Yoosung dropped his phone. No. No, no, no, NO. V was… he was lying. There was no way that… He gripped at his hair, pulling to try to wake himself up from this horrid nightmare he was having. He was awake. He was very much awake. Since his phone had landed screen up, he could see a string of babble go by as V bailed. He hadn’t meant to tell them that. And then a single message from Zifeara

 

_Zifeara: Yoosung… do you need me to call you, or leave you alone?_

_No… I… :Yoosung★_

_I can’t believe him. :Yoosung★_

_Rika was… she killed herself because she was sick. :Yoosung★_

_I can’t believe there isn’t a single shred of evidence to prove that! :Yoosung★_

_He has to be lying. :Yoosung★_

**_The Rika I remember was always bright and healthy…_ ** _:Yoosung★_

_It’s strange that she was sick and never told me about it… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Yoosung, I know a bit about this sort of thing._

_Zifeara: It’s very common to put up a front to hide it so that no one around you worries._

_Zifeara: People can hide these things for years…_

**_This… that can’t be true._ ** _:Yoosung★_

_What am I going to do now… :Yoosung★_

_I’m im sorry ill come back later :Yoosung★_

_ill call you later :Yoosung★_

 

Yoosung slammed the logout button and threw his phone across the floor. This wasn’t happening. Rika was sick. She was hurting. She was just like Sally. He had so many thoughts racing through his head right now that the only logical thing to do was to curl up on the floor. As soon as the first sob made its way out of his body, everything was boiling over. He didn’t think it was possible to cry so hard that you couldn’t breathe, but as it turns out, you can. And it hurts almost as much as finding out your cousin was mentally ill and the one person who knew about it did nothing to help her.

He could mostly breathe again by the time he heard someone knock rapidly on his door. He was so not in the mood for this. It had to be someone from the RFA and there was no way it was Zifeara, so he got up to tell whichever one of his friends it was to kindly fuck right the Hell off. Opening the door and preparing to scream, he lost all of it when he took in the sky blue hair.

 

“V?!”

 

_“Scared you? It’s been a long time.”_

 

V was drenched in sweat and was breathing almost as heavily as he was. Did V just run here from somewhere?

 

“I- I was surprised to see you come so suddenly. I thought you were abroad?”

 

Yoosung moved to let him in and closed the door. What was he even going to ask V first? So many questions were fighting for dominance right now. As was the urge to straight up punch the older man in the face.

 

_“I came back… today. I wanted to call you, but as I said before… I can’t talk on the phone right now.”_

 

The question which came from his mouth was definitely not the one he thought it would be.

 

“What’s with the cane? And those sunglasses?”

 

Yoosung should have been accustomed to not getting the answers he wanted.

 

_“Are you really mad at me?”_

 

“Why did you bother to come all this way? Did… did something happen? Did something bad happen to Zifeara?!”

 

Yoosung grabbed the front of V’s jacket, practically snarling at him. There had to be a reason V was here right now and it couldn’t be good.

 

_“It’s nothing like that. I wanted to apologize. I felt so bad after talking to you. I didn’t know that you had such a hard time after what happened to Rika. So I’m sorry. I wanted to say I’m sorry.”_

 

Grip still tight, Yoosung shook him slightly.

 

“If you wanted to say you were sorry, then maybe you should have just explained everything from the beginning!”

 

_“Yes, maybe I should have. I just didn’t want to see you suffer, Yoosung. That’s why… why I hid everything. I’m sorry.”_

 

Yoosung let go and pushed, causing V to stumble back a little bit. He was ashamed at the uncertain waver in his voice. He wanted to be so forceful, but everything hurt so badly right now.

 

“I hate you. I really hate you, you know.”

 

_“Yeah... that’s fine. So stop torturing yourself. I’m sorry things happened like this. I’m sorry. For real. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault.”_

 

“Do you think I’m going to change how- how I feel just because of this? You did-didn’t even come see m-me after Rika died. Why are you s-s-suddenly caring so much?”

 

He was close to the edge again. So close to that horrible scream/sobbing level of pain and anger and general anguish that he hadn’t felt in the seeming eternity since his cousin had first been taken from him.

 

_“I thought it would be too painful for you to see me… That’s why I stayed away.”_

 

“Of c-course. Rika’s not here anymore… She’s not here. I can _never_ see her again! It’s all bec-cause of _you_! It’s all… your f-fault! I can’t believe that Rika was sick. She- she- she did nothing wrong! It’s all your fault… You betrayed me. You m-made her sick and… and now you even want to take Zifeara away from me, don’t you? You took Rika away and now you want to take Zifeara too!”

 

Now he was crying. Shouting and crying. V wanted to take everything. That’s all he ever did; take anything that made him happy. He was going to put Zifeara somewhere Yoosung could never see her either. They hadn’t even met yet. V moved forward quickly, grabbing the blonde’s arm and pulling him into his chest, holding onto him tightly.

This wasn’t going to stand. Yoosung wasn’t going to let him do this. He still had the use of his arms and he brought his fists hard into the older man’s chest. It was the first thing he could think to do. V just stood there and let this happen.

 

“You can't have Zifeara too! I won't let you take her too!”

 

Yoosung probably only hit him four of five times before V hugged him closer, pinning his arms down and forcing the young man’s head into the crook of his neck. Yoosung pushed as best he could, but V held him fast.

 

“Let go…!”

 

_“ Yoosung, I'm not going to do anything to Zifeara. She's yours. I’m sorry.”_

 

“You should have done something if you’re sorry… You’re the one responsible…!”

 

_“I want to do something. More than anyone.”_

 

“V…!”

 

_“Trust me. More than anyone I… wanted to stop it. Whatever I could do to stop it…”_

 

“It’s all your fault.”

 

_“Trust me.”_

 

“Stop telling me to trust you! I can’t trust you. It’s… it’s all your f-fault that Rika’s not here, that Zifeara’s in da-danger, it’s just all your f-fucking fault…”

 

_“Okay. It’s my fault.”_

 

“It’s your fault.”

 

_“It’s my fault. If only I could turn back time…”_

 

Finally being released after calming down enough to breathe yet again, Yoosung backed up to find that V had taken his glasses off. His eyes were not as Yoosung remembered them. They were… paler.

 

“...V, what’s wrong with your eyes? Are you… hurt?”

 

Long after V left, Yoosung sat in the middle of his floor, pictures from his photo album scattered everywhere. He had long since lost the energy needed to cry more. He was spent. He had only one more thing to do. Finding his phone under the bed where it had ended up when he threw it earlier, Yoosung called Zifeara. She must have been worried sick about him all this time, but he had to be sure he had let as much emotion out as he could before he called her. She didn’t need to hear him cry like that. He was going to sound awful and probably like a living corpse, but it probably wouldn’t matter. Not to her. She picked up almost immediately. She’d been waiting for him.

 

“I’m sorry to call you so late.”

 

_“You know I’ll answer any time you call. Especially today.”_

 

He sighed and she waited. He genuinely didn’t know whether he wanted to talk or hear her more, but soon the words just came pouring out of his mouth. He didn’t tell her V was here. He didn’t think it mattered.

 

“I just felt frustrated at all the thoughts I was having… I pulled out old memories and kept thinking about whether this is the right thing to do… That was so tiring… So… I wanted to hear your voice. It might all be fine once I hear your voice.”

 

_“I needed to hear you too. I was starting to worry. I knew you were going to need time, but…”_

 

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. I’ll… I’ll be ok. I already feel so much better just hearing you. I’m glad I called. I… I’ve been thinking and I can’t believe what V said.The Rika I knew was so strong. Her eyes shined so bright when she persuaded people. It was as if people were really connected by their hearts… How else can I put it? When she talked, her words sounded like more than just words… You got the feeling that you’re really listening to the voice in her heart. Because… she never talked for her own private benefit. She was the kind of person who could sacrifice everything for everyone’s happiness.”

 

He had no idea how much he had needed to tell someone this. He thought he was done, but he was getting emotional all over again. Zifeara was so good to listen to all this, after everything she had been put through over Rika. She really was there for him. She was so strong.

 

“But she was mentally ill…? And hurt V…? Was there a side to her that I didn’t know about? I can’t believe that…!”

 

_“Yoosung, when people are depressed, they tend to hide it from those they care about most so that they aren’t making the other person unhappy too. She most likely hid it from you because she knew how much you cared about her and didn’t want to worry you.”_

 

“That might be so… but when she was with me, she was really normal. No, she wasn’t just normal. She was a great person!”

 

_“Then she really, really didn’t want you to worry.”_

 

“If what V is saying is true… and what you’re saying is true, then I have to acknowledge her duality… I don’t want to. I want to trust that Rika showed her true self to me… You know how big of an influence she was. I don’t know… I’m honestly really nervous too. I don’t know if what she showed me was real… or if I just desperately want to believe that it’s real…!”

 

_“Yoosung, I’m sure she was really that way. She was that way all along. People change when things aren’t all going well in their heads, but they’re still the same person. It’s like the story of Jekyll and Hyde. They were both one person, just two different personalities. She was in there, Yoosung. She was real.”_

 

He didn’t have any tears left, but his voice still broke as though he did. What Zifeara said was so… so kind. How could she talk about his cousin like she knew Rika? Maybe she just knew too much about this state of mind. In a way, that scared him, but that was not a conversation to have tonight. Right now he had to empty himself so he could start again.

 

“She… she left without saying anything. That’s what I hate the most. As much as she meant to me… I wanted to mean a lot to her. But I don’t think it was everything. I… I want think you’re right. Maybe she only showed the best side of herself to me. Or maybe… maybe I never knew Rika at all. If that’s the truth… I don’t want to admit it. Why… why did she just leave me without telling me anything? I’m going to ask her if I meet her in my dreams. What kind of person was she really? I’m… I’m sorry. I keep getting worked up. I… I need to organize my thoughts and rest… Thank you so much for listening to me. Now that I got that all out, now that I’ve told someone… I feel like I can start sorting everything out.”

 

_“Yoosung? I know that… that it’s really hard to comfort someone over the phone, but there’s something I want to do for you.”_

 

“What do you mean?”

 

_“Trust me.”_

 

“I do.”

 

_“Get into bed for me.”_

 

He hesitated a moment, but did so. He was sure she could hear him rustling all his blankets around and settling in and laying down with the phone to his ear, so when he was still, she spoke again.

 

_“Tell me goodnight like you always do, but don’t hang up. Say exactly what you want to say before you’d hang up right now, then relax.”_

 

“Uhm, o-okay. I… I’ll call you again in the morning… I… I want to see you. I love you. Goodnight.”

 

Those last two he whispered, partially because he was nervous about what it was she was doing, partially because he had never told her out loud that he loved her before. He heard her taking exaggerated breaths on the other side of the phone, and he followed her breathing; trying to relax like she asked. He was surprised at how quickly doing this was making him feel infinitely better. This was making him picture her right in front of him, curling himself around her and feeling her heartbeat since they were so close. All of the exhaustion from the day was catching up to him quickly, making his eyelids heavy. Zifeara was working magic.

He thought she was going to hang up when he heard her stop, but instead [she started to sing](https://youtu.be/nP-AAlZlCkM). It wasn't a song he recognized, and he had never imagined her voice could sound so wonderful. Every note was the new best thing he had ever heard and with each passing moment he fell even more in love with her. Was there no limit to her kindness? She had wanted to sing him to sleep. As much as he hoped this would never end, she was getting what she wanted. The breathing thing had made him so tired and her voice was so soothing. He closed his eyes and let her finish, now so very close to going under. He was barely still holding the phone to his ear when he heard her whisper her goodnight back.

  
_“Goodnight, my paladin. I love you too.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Yoosung... He's having a hard everything in general....
> 
> See you all soon!


	12. Dealings With the Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Girls like it when you do stupid things for them, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this time because I'm doing something a little different with the next two! Thanks for your patience!

He hadn’t slept like that in so long. Yoosung woke instantly, wide awake even though he had probably only gotten a little over 6 hours of sleep. He got up and turned on his phone, catching up on what he had missed. Jumin was in. He told them about V’s eyes. V himself wouldn’t say anything about them last night and now he knew why. Rika… did that to him. He wouldn’t get it treated because of that. Jumin had tried to talk him into it, but V wouldn’t do it. This explained why he had been so inactive with the RFA. V wanted to leave his eyes that way because it was something that Rika had left him with. That was the final straw.

Yoosung logged out of the chatroom and got dressed, brushing his teeth and putting his shoes on in a hurry. How could V be so stupid? His eyes were his livelihood, his only way to access the things that truly made him happy once. He had stopped taking so many pictures because he couldn’t see anymore. He was just being stubborn and if he had learned anything over all this mess, it was that no one should have to suffer because of not letting go of the past. It was hard to do, sure, and he wasn’t done with the process, but V had had so much more time, damnit.

V wouldn’t listen to him, he was certain of that. He needed to go to the only person V did listen to. The blonde arrived at the soaring skyscraper and talked to security, having them recognize him and allow him up to the penthouse. He passed Jaehee on the way and urged her not to worry and get to wherever it was she was going. He rang Jumin’s doorbell and waited. When the older man opened the door, he was clearly expecting his assitant to have returned after forgetting something. Yoosung was already emotional over what he was about to ask, though he had tried to organize his thoughts and compose himself on the way here.

 

“Jumin, it’s me. I came to ask you a favor.”

 

Jumin had an expression on his face Yoosung rarely saw, considering the older man seemed to be made of stone most of the time. Jumin was genuinely surprised. He placed a hand on his hip and stepped back a bit from the door.

 

_“You surprised me. You left the chatroom without any word… You came here straight away?”_

 

“Tell V to get treatment.”

 

Jumin sighed and returned to his usual composed self.

 

“Oh… Didn’t expect you to say that.”

 

He had to convince Jumin to be more assertive with V. V was the only person the executive was never that way with.

 

“V is being stupid. How can he value his memories with Rika more than himself…! Tell him to get treated. He won’t take it seriously if I talk to him.”

 

_“I’ve tried to convince him several times already and he said no.”_

 

“You have to be more forceful! How about threatening to never see him again if he doesn’t get treatment? What kind of friend would let the person they trust most do that to themself?”

 

Jumin looked annoyed for a brief second before settling on an almost dejected calmness.

 

_“Should I go that far? V must have his own reasons.”_

 

Screw V’s reasons. V’s reason’s were stupid.

 

“I can’t just watch while V goes blind!”

 

_“I’m more curious of why you’re so worried about V all of a sudden.”_

 

“Because V is still a member of the RFA and more than that, no one should have to suffer because of something that wasn’t their fault. As much as I don’t like him and I think he’s made very bad decisions… he doesn’t deserve this.”

 

Jumin looked as though Yoosung had just told him Elizabeth the 3rd was actually a dog. As though what he had just said was so outlandish that it couldn’t possibly be true. But as per usual with him, it only lasted a moment.

 

_“I will ask one more time since you requested it. But I can’t give any promises.”_

 

“Alright.”

 

_“Did you risk yourself to come all this way just to say that?’_

 

“N-no… That’s not the only thing. I have one more favor. Send security guards to where Zifeara is.”

 

Now Jumin adopted a stiffer posture and sounded indignant.

 

_“It’s been a long time since you last visited me and all you’re doing is asking favors.”_

 

“Please Jumin. I can’t protect Zifeara just by myself. I can’t protect her at all right now! What if the hacker’s the person who led Zifeara to the apartment? The bomb’s already been hacked…!”

 

_“As you know, I don’t know where Rika’s apartment is.”_

 

“Please ask V. Of all people, he’d tell you if you ask. I know that V listens to you. You can ask him while telling him to get treatment. You don’t have to tell me where it is… Just please.”

 

_“You’re asking me a difficult favor. First, don’t just stand in the doorway and come in.”_

 

He ushered Yoosung in and… smiled?

 

_“Since you’re here, you must say hello to the cats.”_

 

Elizabeth had been sitting on the back of the sofa that was off to the right in the room this whole time, but upon hearing commotion, the new kitten had roused herself from somewhere and came running. Mewing, she happily rubbed up against Yoosung’s leg.

 

“O-oh…”

 

He knelt down to pet her, causing the kitten to purr like crazy. She was super cuddly. And loud. And cute. He looked up as Jumin spoke again, somehow still looking almost happy for once.

 

_“Nothing is free in this world. If you think I’m going to do two favors for you without anything in return, you’re mistaken. I feel like we can make a good deal.”_

 

“Deal?”

 

_“Mhm. If I am to do these things for you, you must take care of Lisa for me.”_

 

“Lisa?”

 

The kitten protested at not being pet anymore, bumping herself into Yoosung’s leg and meowing again. He reached under her front legs and picked her up, receiving no protest but more happy purrs at the attention.

 

_“Yes, that’s her name.”_

 

He thought about this, holding the kitten like a baby, rubbing her tummy and wiggling his fingers as she swatted at them. He knew Zifeara liked cats, she and Seven gushed about them all the time. Zifeara had expressed a desire to take this particular cat herself since she had been thinking about getting one anyway and no one else in the RFA would. If anything else, he could agree to take her now and give her to Zifeara if things didn’t work out. It was worth being maybe not 100% truthful with Jumin right now.

 

“Ok Jumin. I’ll look after her. I like animals anyway…”

 

He should still call Zifeara and let her know, though… He hoped she was still ok with this. He excused himself for a moment and called her. She of course, picked up quickly.

 

“Hello? It’s me! Sorry I left so quickly like that earlier...”

 

_“It’s ok, I was just making some coffee. What are you doing in such a hurry?”_

 

“Well… Uhm… I was busy talking to Jumin about something. What do you think about having pets?”

 

_“...You’re taking Jumin’s kitten, aren’t you?”_

 

“I- well- uh, I… have a good reason to. You don’t mind, do you?”

 

_“Hahaha, you know I love animals, Yoosung. Cats are fun~”_

 

“Really? I… I don’t love them to death, but I feel like it’ll be a good challenge to have one. Cats are more independent than dogs, but they have much stronger personalities. Plus since I want to be a vet… It’ll be hard on my own… but if two people get on it, they can share responsibilities and it’ll be easier… Any-anyways, I’m glad you like pets. For real! I was a bit nervous about you not liking the idea. So… will you help me take care of her? I’ve never had one before…”

 

_“Of course I will! You couldn’t keep me away from a cat if you tried. Besides, getting a cat and doing it right can get expensive, so with two people, it’s a lot easier.”_

 

“Ah good, I was so hoping you’d like her. I don’t want you to do too much though… Mmm, I love talking to you so much, but whenever I hear your voice, I want to see you so bad… hehe. I want to keep listening to your voice… but I won’t. I have to go. You know that I’m always thinking about you, right?”

 

_“I’d be borderline offended if you weren’t~ I’m always drawing you, so it evens out. Don’t get yourself into too much trouble today, ending up with a cat is enough, alright?’_

 

“Haha, okay, I won’t. I’ll call you again then! I miss you.”

 

He hung up and Lisa whined loudly to be picked back up. Jumin was holding Elizabeth and she was getting jealous. Picking the little ball of fur up again, he held her over his shoulder this time and she didn’t seem to mind that either. She was just really friendly. Yoosung asked Jumin if Lisa could stay here until after the party since things were still up in the air with the hacker and everything else, which Jumin said was fine since he knew she had somewhere to go now. Thanking him, Yoosung left and went home.

Not being able to do anything else was still killing him, but at least Zifeara was much safer. And he had effectively gotten her a kitten. Getting back into his apartment, he was still jittery and checked to see what had happened on the chat while he was gone.

 

***

 

_707 has entered the chatroom_

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

 

_Yoosung! Did you make it back ok? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Zifeara~!_

_Yoosung★: I’m sorry I worried you, I’m fine. Are you ok?_

_Yep. I’m totally fine. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I’m glad…_

_707: I feel like my eyes are gonna pop out…_

_Yoosung★: Seven, did you find anything?_

_707: I did…_

_707: I’m going to share the information I got by sacrificing my eyeballs._

_707:_ _I already reported to V._

_707: The weird email Jaehee received is just a regular email…_

_707:_ _I think it’s ok to ignore it._

_Yoosung★: That’s... a relief._

_Are you serious? The creepy as Hell suspicious email checks out? :Zifeara_

_707: I looked into it but didn’t find anything…_

_707: You can just ignore it._

_707:_ _The person who was stalking Zen…_ _I traced his route_

 _707:_ **_and I think he belongs with the hacker._ **

_Yoosung★: Oh…_

_Yoosung★: My god._

_But why Zen though? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Yeah, why would they target Zen?!_

_707: They probably sent a spy to figure out what’s going on with us._

_707: Spying on Jumin or Jaehee would have been difficult because of security…_

_707: and I only went to places that were highly secured._

_707: Yoosung, it would have been hard to find your address since you moved a lot._

_707: It was easy to find Zen because of all his fanmail._

_Yoosung★: Zen could have been in real danger…_

_I’m getting really sick of this situation… :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Zifeara… Don’t give up yet._

_I’m not giving up, I’m getting pissed. :Zifeara_

_I want someone to pay for fucking with us. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Haha, even in a time like this…_

_Yoosung★: Zifeara wants to fight somebody…_

_Damn right I do. No one messes with my friends and gets away with it. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: That’s amazing._

  
_707: Yoosung._

_707: It might only be a matter of time before the hacker finds your address._

_707: … I think u should come to my house too._

_Yoosung★: Me too?_

_707: Ya… I’m nervous._

_Yoosung, I think that’s a good idea. I’m worried about you. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Don’t worry over me._

_Yoosung★: Unlike you, I’m a strong man…!_

_Sweetheart, I can probably bench press twice your weight. :Zifeara_

_Get to Seven’s. :Zifeara_

_707: ...is it weird I kinda want to see that?_

_Depends on why you’re interested, I suppose lol :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Guys…_

_Yoosung★: Are we sure that the person who led Zifeara to Rika’s apartment is in that same group?_

_707: I haven’t found exact evidence yet, but..._

_707: The hacking method Unknown used at that time_

_707: is very similar to how the bomb algorithm was hacked._

_707: So I’m sure… that the hacker and Unknown are either the same person or in the same group._

_Yoosung★: I kind of expected this… but it really is the worst case scenario._

_Yoosung★:_ **_Wait, then isn’t Zifeara in worse danger?!_ **

_I hate to say it, but… :Zifeara_

_Maybe V was right? :Zifeara_

_Are they gonna risk the bomb just to come get me? :Zifeara_

_707: Oh… Ya ur right._

_Yoosung★: …_

_707: Ironically, Zifeara is safe._

_707: What they want isn’t her but the information in the apartment and if they aren’t careful the bomb will go off._

_707: And… I just checked… there are security guards all around the apartment._

_707: All the guards belong to Jumin’s company…_

_707: Maybe V asked him?_

_Yoosung, you crafty little bugger. :Zifeara_

_It’s sweet you’d do that for me. I feel better. :Zifeara_

_707: ???_

_Yoosung★: Then it was worth it._

_Yoosung★: ..._ **_I want to know the location of the apartment._ **

_707: If the situation gets better, I might tell u._

_Yoosung★: What the Hell is that group? Why do they want our information?_

_To figure that out, we need more information, right? :Zifeara_

_707: Ya. So I was about to say_

_707:_ **_I did find their hideout spot as a bonus._ **

_Yoosung★: REALLY!?_

_Yoosung★: That’s not a bonus that’s crucial information!!!_

**_Seriously, Luciel. WTH_ ** _:Zifeara_

_Is the group a big organization or something? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Yeah... Why do they need a hideout?_

_Yoosung★: Are they holding some kind of secret gathering…!?_

_707: Think so_

_Wait, seriously? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: OMG_

_Yoosung★: Isn’t that dangerous?_

_707: I don’t feel good about it._

_Yoosung★:_ **_Where is it?_ **

_707: Can’t say._

_Yoosung★: Why!?_

_707: Because I’m going to head over there soon_

_707:_ **_and I don’t want anyone to follow me._ **

**_Are you fucking insane?!_ ** _:Zifeara_

_707: Ya_

_Yoosung★: You can’t go alone! It’s too dangerous._

_707: It won’t be dangerous if I sneak in._

_707: I’ll infiltrate and take their information._

_707: I’m gonna figure out who the Hell they are._

_Yoosung★: Isn’t infiltrating dangerous…?!_

_707: It’s not._

_Bullshit. :Zifeara_

_707: If something goes wrong with me, V and Jumin will retaliate_

_707:_ **_so all’s good lol_ **

_Yoosung★: What do you mean all’s good… Seven. You have to think seriously._

_Yoosung★: Going to our enemies by yourself… Seven, do you even know how to fight?_

_707: I’ll be fine._

_Luciel, this is way too dangerous. Think about this for more than a hot second. :Zifeara_

_707: I’ve already decided, but thanks for your concern…_

_707:_ **_But I’ll be back soon so don’t worry >.<_ **

_707: I’ll be back tomorrow before lunch._

_Yoosung★: So V knows about this?_

_707: Yeah I told you already. V also thinks that it’s best if I go._

_Yoosung★: But what if…_

_Yoosung★: what if you don’t come back?_

_707: If I don’t come back, cancel the party_

_707:_ **_and delete the RFA messenger app._ **

_Why?! :Zifeara_

_707:_ **_And it’s probably safer… to destroy all your smartphones?_ **

_And you’re telling me not to worry? Like Hell I’m not worried. :Zifeara_

_707: Thank you but…_

_707: It’s easier to take care of this as soon as possible._

_Yoosung★: No… Seven, you can’t go there alone._

_Yoosung★: Please, think about it again…_

_707:_ _V told me to go_

_707: so I’m only doing what he wants._

_707:_ **_It’s V’s decision… so I have to follow it._ **

_Yoosung★:_ **_I can’t._ **

_707:_ **_It’s mine to follow so you don’t have to._ **

_Yoosung★: Take me with you._

_707: What?_

**_WHAT_ ** _:Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I’m sorry… for making this decision Zifeara._

_Yoosung★: But I have to go._

_Yoosung★: I want to protect you._

_707: Never expected this to happen._

_Yoosung★: I want to help. I want to do anything for Zifeara… for RFA._

_Yoosung★: I don’t want to be a lazy fool anymore._

_707:_ **_You’re more of an idiot that a fool._ **

_Yoosung★: Don’t mess with me, I’m serious._

_If I was scared of Seven getting hurt, what makes you think I’m any less worried about you? :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★:_ **_If I get hurt trying to protect you… I’ll accept my fate._ **

_Yoosung★:_ **_But I will protect you even if I have to give up my life._ **

_Yoosung★: The reason why I hated V was because I couldn’t do anything._

_Yoosung★: Now I’m not going to sit around and whine about wanting the truth._

_Yoosung★: I… want to be different._

_Yoosung★: I don’t completely understand V yet. But at least…_

_Yoosung★: I admit that V took on a huge scar for Rika._

_Yoosung★: I am not going to sit here and let someone threaten us._

_Yoosung★: Not my friends…_

_Yoosung★:_ **_Not my girlfriend._ **

_… :Zifeara_

_I swear to god Yoosung Kim, you do anything stupid and dangerous and the hacker is going to be the_ **_least_ ** _of your problems. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Zifeara…_

_Yoosung★: I’m such a lucky person to even be able to talk to you._

_Yoosung★: I know it’s dangerous. But… if I have to put myself at risk to protect you…_

_Yoosung★: I’m happy with that._

_707: I hate to interrupt this… but V will never let me…_

_707: Don’t you know that?_

_Yoosung★: I will regret it for the rest of my life if I don’t do anything here._

_Yoosung★: I get that V wants to protect me._

_Yoosung★: But I don’t need anyone’s protection. I need to protect Zifeara._

_Yoosung★:_ **_Please take me… Please?_ **

_707: Hmm…_

_707:_ **_You should talk to V yourself…_ **

_Yoosung★: If you don’t take me I’ll be a loser forever and I can’t do that._

_707: Better to be a safe loser than to be brave and get hurt._

_Yoosung is not a loser and you’re taking him with you. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★:_ **_^^ Thank you. ~_ **

_707: Couple couple mushy couple delusions._

_Yoosung★: This is the first time I’ve wanted to step up for someone. Seven… Try to understand how I feel._

_Yoosung★: You are not V’s slave!_

_707: That’s true but I respect V… I can’t just disobey him…_

_Yoosung★: Disobey him just this once! Please Seven!_

_707: Ugh… what should I do._

_You’re taking him with you and that’s final. :Zifeara_

_707: I guess…_

_707:_ **_It’ll be less lonely to die with someone else._ **

_Luciel, I will bring you back from the grave and kill you myself if something happens to him. :Zifeara_

_707:_ **_Jeez, I was half kidding…_ **

_Yoosung★: Only half!?_

_707:_ **_We aren’t going to die… I don’t want to die._ **

_707: Alright. I’ll send a car over._

_Yoosung★: Okay! I’ll get ready._

_707: If you have any working gloves, bring them with you._

_Yoosung★: Working gloves? Sure, Seven…_

_Any particular reason? :Zifeara_

_707: Just in case. We can pretend to be mechanics if anyone asks._

_Yoosung★: I’ll wait for the car then, Seven. See you soon._

_707: Yeah, we’ll talk more when I see you._

_707: There are too many things I can’t tell you over the messenger._

_Yoosung★: Okay._

 

_707 has left the chatroom_

 

_Yoosung★: Seven left._

_You have to come back safe. We’ve been through too much for you not to… :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I don’t want to leave you… but it’s torture for me to stay put._

_Yoosung★: I’ll definitely come back._

_Yoosung★: I still have to meet you…_

_Oh Hell… we haven’t even really met yet… :Zifeara_

_I… I really wish I could blink over there… :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Me too. I want to see you… so much._

_Yoosung★: I’ll come back safe and we’ll see each other at the party._

_Yoosung★: Zifeara… I’ll protect you no matter what._

_Yoosung★: Zifeara… you… you know I love you._

_I love you too Yoosung. Take care of Seven. He’s kind of dumb. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Haha, I will. You can’t smile at other people until I come back…_

_Yoosung★: I’ll get jealous._

_Yoosung★: Zen… When you read this…_

_Yoosung★:_ **_Back off._ **

_Yoosung! :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: I’ll come back no matter what._

_Yoosung★: I’ll text you… I’ll be in contact._

_Be brave, my paladin. You’ll be ok. :Zifeara_

_Yoosung★: Then… bye._

  
_Yoosung★ has left the chatroom._


	13. Black Cats Are Good Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Zifeara can do is make a phone call. A very important phone call and wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So thirteen is my favorite number, Zifeara's birthday (October 13th), AND I accidentally made it Zifeara's POV chapter @^@ Things work out! 
> 
> Also this is where the OC involvement gets stronger because Zifeara is her own character with a backstory and she knows people. I will point out though, Malaya is not my OC and belongs to my amazing roommate, I'm just borrowing her because Mal and Zia are best friends :3

As much as Zifeara didn’t want to admit it, there was a very good reason she had gone from worried to encouraging and even to insistent on Yoosung going with Seven. Seven had taken every single measure possible to ensure his phone couldn’t be traced, she was certain of that, but she was willing to bet he wouldn’t think to modify Yoosung’s phone before they left. He probably wouldn’t have time either. Her own phone still in hand, she pressed the button for one of only two numbers she had on speed dial. There were people she knew she could count on for this sort of thing. The phone rang barely twice before the familiar voice on the other side chirped a happy greeting.

 

_“Heya, Zifeara! Everything ok?”_

 

“Well, not super great, but not an immediate crisis. I need a favor, Mal.”

 

She explained to her friend what had been going on with with the hacker and what Seven had just found.

 

 _“Oh,_ **_that_ ** _kind of favor. Haha, awesome. What do you need exactly?”_

 

“Well… The guy I was just describing fancies himself a super spy and made his phone very hard to track, so I may have… just sent my new boyfriend with him. I, uh, I need you to make sure they don’t get themselves killed.”

 

_“Search and rescue! Got it! I'll bring them back. No worries. Finally you let me have some fun.”_

 

“Kind of. They haven’t exactly left yet, but I just know they’ll do something stupid. More like follow then rescue. Take Fell and Lily. I have no idea how many you’ll be up against really, but I just don’t want anyone hurt. You’re good at making things disappear.”

 

_“I’ll take care of them. Don't worry. And I’m totally grounded so Fell and Lily had to go anyway.”_

 

“Good. Thanks Mal. I’ll text you the number for you to follow and I totally promise you’ll get to meet my new friends in a not do or die situation later. I think you’d like Seven, actually. He’s crazy too. Talk to you later.”

 

She hung up, texting her friend Yoosung’s phone number along with the message ‘I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but no talking to him until this is over. I know you too well for this.’ All Zifeara could really do now is wait. Wait for the the chatroom to ding or her phone to either yell or bark. She hadn’t expected it to caw, the raven sound signaling Malaya had read her message. Her reply was one word. ‘Killjoy’. She smiled, rolling her eyes at her friend’s pretend complaint. When she had told Yoosung a bit about Mal, she had conveniently left out all the history she had with the younger girl and what kind of life Malaya led. She was glad she had.

A couple of hours went by before her phone did indeed ding, but it was only Jaehee and Jumin worrying over the boys and speculating about V and how annoyed he’d be to find the rest of the RFA taking matters into their own hands. He wouldn’t have to know yet about how Zifeara had taken matters out of even the RFA’s hands and put them into someone else’s; someone she trusted more than any of them. It was hard to even focus on drawing right now, so she ended up doing silly doodles most of the evening, deciding she could at least draw the RFA as cats. It was around seven o’clock when Zen came in.

 

_Zen has entered the chatroom_

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

 

_Hey, Zen. You’re still staying safe at Seven’s place, yeah? :Zifeara_

_Zen: Hey Zifeara… Yeah._

_Zen: Seven that guy… I lost him right in front of my eyes._

_Zen: I should have stopped him from leaving… Can’t believe he took Yoosung too!_

_Zen: Zifeara, I’m sorry._

_Did you not read the past chat logs? :Zifeara_

_I told him to take Yoosung with. He wanted to go. :Zifeara_

_Zen: Yeah but…_

_Zen: I still can’t believe this is happening at all._

_Zen: I thought RFA was an organization that just holds parties._

_Zen: Powerful people did come to the last party but… never thought that would hold us back._

_Zen:_ _How strong are our enemies really?_

_I guess we’ll find out when Yoosung and Seven get back. :Zifeara_

_Zen: I hope so._

_Zen: God, I really hate putting people in danger…_

_Zen: I’m worried. If we have to set off a bomb to protect information_

_Zen:_ **_the organization is quite formidable…_ **

_Don’t worry so much, it’s handled. :Zifeara_

_Besides, worrying is my job right now. He will be fine, right?:Zifeara_

_Zen:_ **_If it’s Yoosung, Seven or V will do anything to protect him._ **

_Zen: They’re both the type to sacrifice themselves to save others._

_Yeah, I got that vibe from Seven too. I just wanted someone else to say it would be alright. :Zifeara_

_Zen: It will be._

_Zen: Seven is a weirdo who says strange things and appears to be selfish…_

_Zen:_ **_But all he does is give. ;;_ **

_Hey, I don’t think he’s that weird! He just has a different sense of humor. :Zifeara_

_Zen: Oh no, he’s brainwashed you, haha._

_Zen: I can’t give him too much grief though._

_Zen: The reason why I’m this famous is because Seven was so willing to help._

_Zen: Well…_ **_happened to help_ ** _is more exact haha._

_Zen: Gahh… Please let them return safe!!_

_Zen: I hope everything works out…_

_It will. I completely believe it will. :Zifeara_

_Zen: Thanks Zifeara. I guess I needed to hear it too._

 

After a bit more chatter and another guest for the party, all that was left was to exchange a sense of security again and let Zen get back to whatever he was doing. This was probably the most human she had ever seen him. No bragging, no flirting, just being a normal person for once. She could get used to that.

Malaya kept her updated on where they were going; somewhere far into the mountains to the north. At some point they stopped to bicker about what route they were taking and to stretch. She wanted to call them so badly, but she also thought it would be fair to let one of them call her to update their most worried member on what was going on. It was when neither of the boys did that she took matters into her own hands and called Seven, ready to murder someone.

He tried to be cute with her, probably not bothering to look at who was calling first. The second he heard her tone of voice, all of that confidence faded away. He was scared. As he should be.

 

“Seven, where are you two right now? You better not be _avoiding_ talking to me. You wouldn’t do that, right?”

 

_“... Omg! Hey!! Did you call because of Yoosung?”_

 

“Of course I did. And I seem to recall promises of being kept up on what you two knuckleheads are doing. How _is_ Yoosung?”

 

Seven was babbling and making failed jokes, causing her to seriously wonder if everything was actually ok. After a few more bad jokes from him and a veiled threat in a sweet voice from her, she was confident he was just nervous and didn’t want his ass kicked by all five and a half feet of her. She relaxed.

 

_“You don’t want us to get into an accident, do you…? Oh my god! You didn’t enroll us into a life insurance program or something like that, did you? That’s why you wanted Yoosung to go so badly?”_

 

“No, just you. That way I could file it under ‘occupational hazard’ and it would pay out more. Your ass is worth mint, Choi.”

 

The second he hung up she called Yoosung, just to be sure he was actually ok. Seven was getting testy from all the distractions, but her boyfriend sounded perfectly fine. That being said, she let him get back to what they were doing, but she still needed something else. She had just heard from all three people important to this that everything was fine. What she needed was a distraction. She didn’t feel like playing LOLOL, that just made her think of Yoosung and worry. She was drawing sure, but she needed to hear somebody else to ground her. She would have preferred Fang, but she knew he was getting ready for work tonight. Jaehee would have been great but she was always working. Jumin was ick. Who else had nothing to do but wait? She called Zen.

 

_“Zifeara? Are you ok? Is everything alright?”_

 

“Hi, Zen, I’m fine. I just… If I’m honest, I’m freaking out a little. I’m super nervous and worried and I figured actually talking to someone about something completely unrelated might do me some good. Have time?”

 

_“Sure, Jagi. That… that might do me some good too. Haha, it sounds weird to say since I’m a guy, but… I’m really worried too. What do you want to talk about?”_

 

“Well… I’m drawing cats right now, which you don’t want to hear about, but it’s the whole RFA. I did you guys as dogs the other day too.”

 

_“Yeah? That’s pretty cool. I’ve never considered us as animals. Definitely not cats… ugh… Ahchew! Uuuuuh, sorry. You know how I am with the furballs. What kind of dogs are we?”_

 

“Weeeel, Seven is a Shiba Inu, Jumin is a German Shepherd, Jaehee is a French Bulldog, Yoosung is a Golden Retriever, You’re a Malamute, V is a mystery right now since I don’t know him well enough, and I’m an Akita.”

 

_“Hahaha, that’s pretty good! You’re so creative. I really hope once we have the party I get to see those drawings. Oh, speaking of! While we’re trying to distract ourselves, do you want to get lunch or something and hang out once the party is done? I was hoping we could get the RFA together and just relax, all six of us.”_

 

“Yeah, that’s a great idea, Zen! I’ll bring my tablet so everyone can see what I’ve been doing, it’ll be fun! Where should we go?”

 

Turns out talking to Zen had helped a lot more than Zifeara thought it would; they kept each other company for nearly two hours before he went to go take a shower. She never would have guessed she and the actor could actually be friends, but maybe now that he had well given up on flirting with her, he could treat her more like and RFA member and less like a carnival prize. He was really nice to talk to; Zen had a melodic voice and his silly, high-pitched laugh was soothing. He had interesting stories and seemed genuinely interested in her own tales. Let’s see if he could stay cool once he had seen her. She had nearly given poor Yoosung a heart attack.

 

***

 

It was late. Seven had text her that they had seen the building and that they were still fine, getting themselves prepared to go in. Malaya called her to confirm what was going on. Everything was totally fine. She had no more hung up with Mal than her her phone barked. At least it was already in her hand.

 

_“It’s me, your cute knight! It’s time for dinner!”_

 

“Yeah? Dinner so late? The life of a hero has a bit of a janky schedule, haha.”

 

_“Hehe, yeah, it is kind of late for dinner, but what can you do? Did you have dinner earlier? How are the cat drawings coming?”_

 

She could hear the slight tremble in Yoosung’s voice. They really were about to go into the garish Hell that housed their tormentors. Mal had described a pretty tacky building earlier, but of course it was still scary. In context.

 

“Yeah I did. I’m still super full, I ate like I’d never seen food before. The cats are obnoxious, so I stopped drawing for the night. I’m watching some movies to pass the time since I can’t sleep yet.”

 

_“Ah, good. Getting ready for when we get to do that together? *sigh* To be honest, I want to call you every meal time to check and see if you’ve eaten. But I shouldn’t call you too often, right? I heard it’s important to express your feelings but also to hold back in relationships. I’m nervous that if I do everything I want all the time, you’ll just get sick of me.”_

 

“How can I be sick of you if I’ve never even seen you? I think that’s a pretty normal thing to want to do, especially in your first relationship. They do say absence makes the heart grow fonder though, so every single meal might be a bit excessive, haha. But I really do like talking to you, so maybe three calls a day would be nice. I can do without you calling me stupidly early in the morning, though, I don’t really do breakfast. Just lunch, dinner, and midnight snack~”

 

_“Hahaha, I think I can do that. But when things are bad, I feel more desperate… You calm me down and make me feel so much better. Is that selfish?”_

 

“No, honey, that’s what I’m supposed to do. You do the same for me. It’ll be better once we can actually be together as opposed to just talking… I can’t wait to see you when everything is okay. It’s only two more days!”

 

That seemed to give him some confidence back. He sounded a bit less scared and a bit more like if he really had a tail, it would be wagging.

 

_“I know, me too. When I see you, I want to be the best man that I can be. I’ll try my best until the end so that we can be safe and happy when we meet.”_

 

It was time to bring in the pep talk.

 

“Yoosung, you called yourself a knight earlier. Do you know why I continue to call you my paladin?”

 

_“Uhm, because in LOLOL I AM a paladin? I just meant I felt… you know… like your knight in shining armor…”_

 

“Ah but you’re wrong. That isn’t the full reason. Paladin is the top tier of your class and it takes a lot of work to become one. Zen is a knight; flashy, cliche, a need to prove himself, one in a hundred. A paladin is on a different level; they do what they do because they’re committed. They work hard for others as opposed to working for their own glory because they’ve learned humility from making it so far. They do whatever it takes to see a quest through. I call you my paladin because it doesn’t get any better than you.”

 

Yoosung was so quiet she could hear him swallow. Someday he would get used to being told he was worth something, but today was obviously not that day.

 

_“I-I… How… h-how do you even… Zifeara, you-you’re going to kill me before I even get in the building to stop the hacker…”_

 

She laughed as he made flustered pouty sounds. She was so excited to tease him in person just for the look on his face when she got him to make those noises. Once he had finally calmed down, he let out a long, contented sigh. He was gearing up to get her back, she could feel it.

 

_“Right now you mean more than anything else in the world to me. I don’t know how I can express it to you. I’ve never felt this way before… I… was always locked in a small room and knew no one else but myself. I was trapped in Rika’s traces and just lined out my limitations on my own. And… I avoided the problems to be free. The world goes on fine without me. Even if I don’t step ahead… I’m fine since I’m not bothering anyone… Other people have it worse. I’m fine… That’s how I comforted myself… But now I want to break out of that. I have a goal now. I want to protect the person I love. I want to risk everything I have to create a beautiful future with her. I’ll achieve my dreams by protecting you… I’ve never felt so overwhelmed before. I’m climbing out of the life Rika built for me… and living a life of my own, as someone who loves one woman. ”_

 

It never ceased to amaze her how every once in awhile, Yoosung managed to say something so romantic and serious despite himself, even though just a second ago he couldn’t form proper words because he was so flustered. She was going to kiss the shit out of this boy when she saw him.

 

“Yoosung, have I ever told you that you’re just the sweetest little muffin that I’ve ever met? I love you.”

 

_“Oh, that isn’t fair! You can’t say it first! I was going to do it first… I was going to say that I love you… that I miss you. That I want to be yours.”_

 

“Mmhm, I miss you too. Don’t you worry, after all this crap is done and once we get the party out of the way, I will definitely make you mine.”

 

Zifeara was starting to live for that overwhelming silence where you could hear Yoosung’s brain overheating and screaming in complete embarrassment. She was getting pretty good at breaking him and it was never not rewarding. This was going to be better than all the chocolate in the world to make him this absolutely wrecked in person. He could almost talk again when he came back down to Earth.

 

_“I- uhm, I-I should really, uh, g-get going now. S-stay safe and take care of yourself. I… I’ll call you again later… Goodnight. I love you.”_

 

The text from Malaya surprised her, but made her laugh immediately after.

 

**To Zifeara**

**What did you just say to him? I thought your boy was hurt for a second; he almost fell over, and his face was really red lol**

 

***

 

Zifeara couldn’t sleep for more than an hour or two at a time. She was far too busy either worrying or keeping the rest of the RFA sane. How did these people handle problems before she got here? Waiting around was murder. She really wished she had been able to go too, that way at least she didn’t have to wait endlessly for texts from her friends to know what the Hell was going on. Malaya was good at keeping her updated, far better than the other two. She knew the second they set foot in that building. It was a long torturous morning, just sitting around hoping nothing was amiss. She took a shower and got dressed, maintaining some sort of normalcy, unable to focus long enough to draw.

 

It was almost 2 pm when she got the call. She had never been so happy to hear Yoosung’s voice before, but that joy was short lived.

 

_“Hello? Oh… thank god.”_

 

“Yoosung? What happened, are you okay?”

 

_“First, everything’s been handled, so don’t worry. Seven’s not doing very well… oh… but nevermind. He’s not hurt.”_

 

“But you’re okay? You don’t sound okay.”

 

_“I’m fine… so don’t worry. I wanted to call you… I just wanted to hear you breathe. I’m sorry, but I can’t talk for long.”_

 

He was absolutely full of shit. His sharp intake of breath and almost imperceptible grunt meant he was trying not to _sound_ hurt. The little shit thought he could lie to her. Concerned Zifeara was moved a side a bit while Very Stern But Still Worried Zifeara surfaced.

 

“Yoosung. What happened? Are you hurt?”

 

_“It-it’s nothing. No, I’m not… Uhm… Ah…”_

 

He was definitely hurt. Hurt and very intent on being stupidly brave. And trying to get rid of her.

 

_“I’ll see you at the party tomorrow. I’ll be back safe… so make sure to put on a happy face for me. I’ll call you later, my love.”_

 

The very second he hung up, her phone cawed. Malaya never lied.

 

**To Zifeara**

**You better get ready to leave. In a couple of hours you’ll want to come see your boy.**

 

**From Zifeara**

**Where are you guys taking him?**

 

**To Zifeara**

**Mercy General Hospital**


	14. The Belly of The Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoosung's POV before the big tussle. Chapter 13's other half.

Seven must have seen him coming because Yoosung didn’t even get to knock on the imposing door to Seven’s bunker before it opened. He had been here many times before, but now his second home just felt like a haunted house. Context sucks. Making his way down the stairs and into the living room, he could hear his friends talking. He had almost forgotten Zen was here.

 

_“We’re gonna go somewhere.”_

 

_“Where?”_

 

Zen must not have read the chat logs. Good. The older man would definitely have tried to stop them, so at least that was good. As soon as Yoosung was in sight, though, Zen was trying to be friendly, which he would have appreciated under any other circumstances. The blonde had to force a smile.

 

_“You’re here! Want some cookies?”_

 

“No, thanks Zen.”

 

_“We have Honey Buddha chips, too.”_

 

Crap. That was, like, his favorite snack. How did they even get them… He couldn’t be all serious, right? Besides, dangerous missions meant he should take advantage of the dire situation and totally eat Seven’s chips.

 

“Then I’ll have one. Give me. Where did you get this?”

 

_“Seven has a whole cabinet of these…”_

 

Seriously?! Hooooow? Seven had everything; cars, rare amazing chips, insurmountable genius… Well, not everything… He didn’t have a girlfriend. Yoosung mentally scolded himself for that one a little, but not much. The chips Zen was holding out were calling him. He opened the bag and shoved a few in his mouth, savoring the delicious treat.

 

“This is really hard to get.”

 

_“Really? No wonder it was so good. I’ve had a few bags since I got here, haha.”_

 

Seven made his way over with a backpack, presumably full of computer equipment.

 

_“My car’s full of Honey Buddha chips.”_

 

“Nice. Guess we’re set then?”

 

_“Yep. Zen, Yoosung and I are leaving. If we don’t return by tomorrow evening, donate all the Honey Buddha chips in the cabinet to the cathedral. The address is in the third green drawer in my room. Passcode’s 7080”_

 

_“W-what?”_

 

_“Then press ‘d’ on my computer and leave the house within 5 minutes and 20 seconds, okay?”_

 

Yoosung really didn’t like how it sounded as though his best friend was so very ready to up and disappear at the drop of a hat. Seven really must live a life he didn’t know about and in a way that was super upsetting. Then again, at least it sounded like Seven knew what he was doing, so this mission they were going on was probably something he was in good hands for.

 

_“Where in the world are you going? What are you talking about?”_

 

_“You don’t have to remember all of this. I’ll text you.”_

 

Zen was clearly starting to worry. Yoosung moved closer to the redhead so that they could leave, hopefully without having to fight Zen.

 

_“What are you talking about? Explain it to me!”_

 

Seeing the serious looks on his friends faces, Zen smiled and tried to ease the atmosphere a little. It was a valiant effort but in the back of his mind, Yoosung remembered how glad he was Zifeara had never met the actor. Zen was way too good at being charming. He really shouldn’t be getting jealous at a time like this, but it was still hard.

 

_“So… You’re telling me I shouldn’t eat the chips? Since you’re going to donate them… Where the Hell are you going? ”_

 

Seven clearly gave up.

 

_“The hacker’s hideout.”_

 

_“What!? You found it?”_

 

_“I’m ready.”_

 

Yoosung figured that was more for him since Seven was positioning himself to move quickly to the garage door. They were going to leave before their friend could fully comprehend what had just been said. And before he realized Seven was taking their youngest friend somewhere horribly dangerous.

 

“I’m ready too. See you, Zen.”

 

_“See you tomorrow… hopefully.”_

 

“Goodbye.”

 

Zen stood in shock as they turned to leave, Yoosung giving a small wave before trailing Seven, eager to get going. He was lead to a blue sportscar, piles of technical looking junk in the backseat, which Seven dumped his backpack on before getting in and starting the car. Sitting in the passenger seat, Yoosung had thought about how many times he had been in one of these cars but under much better circumstances. He was actually almost as familiar with them as Seven himself. Those were better times, but… they were working hard to bring the better times back. That was worth doing this for in itself, much the less better times with Zifeara in them. This had to be done.

 

_“So what are you looking all serious over there for?”_

 

Seven snapped him out of his thoughts as they came to a stoplight. Yoosung hadn’t even noticed how far they had gotten from the bunker already. His friend was grinning, eyebrows raised, evil glint off his glasses. At least it appeared as though Seven wasn’t planning to let either of them brood over this too much, which did put him a little more at ease.

 

“O-oh, nothing really. I just… we have to do this. Well. For everyone. This is probably the most important thing I’ve ever done…”

 

The redhead looked sympathetic for the first time since they had seen each other.

 

_“Yeah, don’t stress too much about it though, It’ll only work you up and waste your energy. Besides, we’ll be totally fine. All we have to do is duck in, grab some info off the computers, and duck back out. Easy stuff. Done it a million times before.”_

 

“Have you really?”

 

_“Nope! But how hard can it really be?”_

 

Yoosung laughed and shook his head. At least he was going into this with someone he really trusted. And even though Seven’s humor could be weird, it was easier to keep calm when he initiated the light-hearted conversation. His friend waited a good hour before delving into what he had clearly been wanting to ask the blonde now that he was basically trapped in a car for an indeterminate amount of time and couldn’t avoid the topic.

 

 _“So~ On a scale from Dramatic Gopher to straight up squealing, how surprised were you to find out Zifeara was a player on our server? A_ **_good_ ** _one?”_

 

Though he laughed, Yoosung could feel his face heat up. On one hand, he wanted to talk about Zifeara every second of every day. On the other, he was afraid of what he’d say when he got too into it, which would probably be 3 seconds into the conversation.

 

“”W-well… it still feels too good to be true, honestly. I’m assuming you already knew. She and I have been playing together for… like 4 months, I think. In all that time, I never even knew she was a _girl_. I just… I really liked Dragon and figured maybe someday I’d meet them at a con or something… Never planned on any of this, much the less that…”

 

He cut his sentence short, burying his face in his hands to try to smother the fire spreading across his cheeks, getting a hearty laugh out of Seven. Coming to a stop at another light, the redhead leaned over and shoved his shoulder a little.

 

 _“Much the less that she’d be a cute girl actually willing to_ **_date_ ** _you?”_

 

 _Right_. He had a bone to pick with Seven.

 

“Cute?! Are you insane, she’s flippin’ gorgeous! You seriously need better glasses if you think Zifeara is just _cute_. Like, what do you even-”

 

It took a second of watching Seven stared open-mouthed at him to realize what he had said. Seven didn’t know he knew what Zifeara looked like now. _Shit_.

 

 _“Aaaaaaand how do you know_ **_that_ ** _, Yoosung?”_

 

He resisted the urge to hide his face again, though he was certainly redder than before.

 

“Uhm, well, we um… she… may have sent me a selfie since… I got an A on one of my tests. She… may be the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen in my life. And I think you’re an idiot.”

 

He might as well commit to it now. He wasn’t looking at Seven, but held his breath to prepare for some sort of anger at breaking some stupid unspoken rule or something. Instead, the only thing following the stunned silence was laughter.

 

_“Well, I guess I never did say not to do that, hahaha. You guys must have talked to each other a lot then~”_

 

Surely smiling like an idiot but still not making eye contact, Yoosung nodded. At least Seven sort of understood. He wasn’t ready for what came next though.

 

_“Lemme see the picture she sent you!”_

 

“What?!”

 

_“It must have been some picture for you to say all that, let me see so I understand~”_

 

“N-no! This picture was just for me… Get your own A…”

 

_“Oho, it isn’t naughty, is it? That’s why you don’t want me to see it?”_

 

“S-Seven! Of course not… D-don’t think about my girlfriend like that, I can see you doing it!”

 

_“Hahaha, alright, alright, I wouldn’t… For very long~”_

 

Yoosung nearly made Seven wreck the car hitting him, but it was worth it. Seven was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes and even though he stayed red for a long time after that, Yoosung laughed too. They hadn’t been so close to each other in a long time. He was glad to have his friend back for a while.

 

***

 

 _“Yes, I know. Uhuh. No, it’s in the same place it always is. Yes_ **_Ma’am_ ** _. Don’t worry, I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. Probably. Yeah, bye~”_

 

It was starting to get dark. Seven had been on the phone for the last 5 minutes with someone and they were not happy about him leaving. The bluetooth device in his ear stopped blinking, indicating the call was done, but before he could even start to ask who that was, a song very distinct from the radio started playing. Was… was that… that was friggin Bohemian Rhapsody. Seven groaned and answered, putting on a very different voice once he did.

 

_“This is Defender of Justice Seven Zero Seven meow. Listen before you speak meow. Superniceman, Ratman, Flyman, and Seven Zero Seven! Babababam~ All defenders of justice take turns protecting the world so others can rest meow. The Seven Zero Seven you’ve called is taking a break meow.”_

 

Who in the world was he talking to? He knew everyone had a different ringtone on Seven’s phone, they had talked about that before, but Yoosung wasn’t familiar with them all. Who did Seven talk like _that_ to? He paused while whoever it was probably said something to that nonsense.

 

_“The world is growing more chaotic by the minute meow. If you don’t rest now, you can’t rest ever meow! But your voice sounds really familiar meow…?”_

 

WAIT. Did he really not know who in the world he was talking to right now? And he answered with _that_? He must not have heard the different ringtone over the car radio. This should be fun. Yoosung wished he could hear the other person now. Seven’s demeanor tensed when whoever it was said something else.

 

_“... Omg! Hey!! Did you call because of Yoosung?”_

 

Him? Well that narrowed the choices to the RFA. And V. And Zifeara. But she wouldn’t call Seven before she called him… right?

 

_“He’s fine! Totally fine! Don’t worry. There is absolutely nothing going on right now! As a matter of fact, we’re still on the way to the stripclub! I mean hideout, totally the hideout!”_

 

Yoosung sputtered and glared at Seven who was super not looking at him but grinning widely as he always did when actively messing with someone. He was clearly trying not to laugh, but his face fell when someone on the other line wasn’t happy. Yoosung could _feel_ it.

 

_“...Did you laugh? You didn’t laugh? Ugh! Breathing breathing!”_

 

Seven was panicking. Over the phone.

 

“Seven, _who_ are you talking to?”

 

_“Don’t move and just stay still when I’m driving, honey.”_

 

Yoosung shut up out of sheer shock that Seven had called him something so ridiculous to someone that clearly knew them both. And the sickeningly sweet tone he had just used. Seven was nervous again.

 

_“Oh, I’m driving right now. I am talking through a bluetooth headset, but still, the chance of getting into an accident soars when you talk on the phone while driving. I’m veeeeeery good at driving but you never know!! For our lives, I want to focus on driving… How about it? Are you okay with that?”_

 

He watched Seven’s eyes widen before an expression of… concern spread across his face. Someone was calling him out on his bullshit. Yoosung was really starting to think Seven was talking to his girlfriend after all.

 

_“You don’t want us to get into an accident, do you…? Oh my god! You didn’t enroll us into a life insurance program or something like that, did you? That’s why you wanted Yoosung to go so badly?”_

 

This time whatever the other party said made Seven smile. It was definitely Zifeara.

 

_“Hahaha, we’re so serious right now but thanks to you, I feel way better. I’ll keep you updated better, I promise. Adios!”_

 

“Seven, was that-”

 

His special ringtone started playing. It was absolutely Zifeara.

 

_“Ugh, you too? I think I know that song…”_

 

Yoosung answered before Seven could figure it out.

 

“Hello? I’m still in the car! I don’t know where we are but it’s definitely far.”

 

_“Yeah, I just got off the phone with Seven, so you know how his half of the conversation went. Are you guys really that far away that you’re still driving?”_

 

“Yeah, it is pretty far away… and Seven’s been circling. Huh? I think we saw that tree earlier. Seven! I-I mean, never mind.”

 

Yoosung lowered his voice to a whisper at the glare from his companion. Seven didn’t like being questioned about his driving.

 

“He’s super scary when he’s driving and he’s kinda touchy right now. He was super confident when he first came here, but he’s been circling the same place. I’m not going to lie, he looked kinda scared while he was on the phone with you a minute ago. You must have said something to him, hehe. Are you still okay over there?”

 

_“Yeah, I’m fine, Yoosung. My biggest problem is trying to get Jumin’s face to not look super stupid right now; I’m drawing the RFA as cats, meow~ Jumin is a persian like Elizabeth but… they have dumb scrunchy faces and Jumin keeps looking borderline retarded… I saved that version of it for everyone’s pleasure later.”_

 

That made him burst out laughing trying to picture it, which really seemed to irritate Seven. He was sure Zifeara could hear him.

 

_“Hey! It’s bothering me! Hang up meow!!”_

 

“Haha… You heard that, right?”

 

_“Hahaha, yeah I did. I guess it’s a cat kind of day. I guess you better go. Tell Seven he’s a Maine Coon, by the way. It might cheer him up.”_

 

“Okay, I will. I just hope we arrive in time. Huh? We’re on a different road now!”

 

Seven gave him a death glare and yelled at him.

 

_“Oh my god, Yoosung, you can flirt with your girlfriend when we get back, this is important!”_

 

“Seven wants me to hang up for real now. Wish us luck! Oh… and I love you.”

 

_“Haha, good luck.  I love you too, Yoosung.”_

 

“I’ll be back soon my love.”

 

Seven was so close to yelling again, but Yoosung did hang up. He stuck his tongue out at the redhead who rolled his eyes.

 

“Zifeara says you’re a Maine Coon. She’s drawing us all as cats. Where are we?”

 

_“Maine Coon huh? I think I can live with that. We’re almost there.”_

 

***

 

The white domed building loomed in the distance, ugly as sin. This was really where the hacker was holed up? This place looked more like a museum built in bad taste as opposed to anywhere dangerous.

 

_“Okay, we’ve seen the place. Let's stop for food and take a little bit before we start.”_

 

He and Seven backed away from the hideous building, getting ready to do this ridiculously stressful thing. Seven moved the car far enough away to keep tabs on any movement on the only road into this place. They were supposed to be having a late dinner, but Yoosung couldn’t have been less hungry if he tried. He was super nervous after seeing the actual place they were to be infiltrating, far too much so to put food in his mouth. He could do this. He could totally do this. He had to do this. He… was really scared to do this. He didn’t know why he thought he could do this. He couldn’t do anything, much the less something so important. This was the worst idea he had ever had; taking the safety of someone so important to him into his own hands. He was going to ruin everything.

 

_“Yoosung?”_

 

Seven was looking at him, concern evident in his voice despite the chips in his mouth.

 

“I’m… I’m not hungry. I did pack a sandwich, but if you wanted real food you could have it.”

 

_“Get out.”_

 

“What? S-Seven?”

 

_“If you’re going to call Zifeara, get out of my car first. I don’t want to have to hear all your lovey crap again.”_

 

The redhead was smiling, clearly joking, but he must have known what was going through Yoosung’s mind. He was right though, talking to Zifeara was probably the motivation he needed. It had only been a couple of hours, but he already missed the sound of her voice.

He got out and leaned on a nearby tree, breathing steadily so he didn’t sound worried. He looked at the picture of herself she had sent him before dialing her number. She picked up immediately. He poured all of his worry and all of his doubts into her, listening as Zifeara worked her magic, turning everything bad about him into something wonderful and giving it back. He had no idea how she managed to see anything at all in him, but god was he abundantly grateful to whatever powers that be that she did. She made him love her more every single time he talked to her. She was his strength. She was what he was doing all this for. She was worth all of whatever this was about to be. He would do this for her. He would do _anything_ for her. He wasn’t nervous anymore. He was ready to kick somebody’s ass for his girlfriend.

 

***

 

“Seven… what do we do now? Should we go in?”

 

_“No, it’s dangerous. We have to first use our binoculars to find all the security measures outside the building like CCTVs. After that, I’ll hack into their security system or get rid of it. I drew a rough blueprint from satellite images while you were on the phone. Mark the CCTVs in red and the windows in blue. Yellow for anything strange, Okay?”_

 

“Uhm… Yes. Okay. Give me the binoculars.”

 

_“I’ll go look around where the electric wires and ethernet cables are located.”_

 

“Seven… You seem like you’ve done this many times. I’m not wrong am I?”

 

This was probably the most intense look Seven had ever given him. His tone had been excessively serious ever since he had asked if they were ready to go.

 

_“Yoosung.”_

 

“Yes?”

 

_“I’ve just played GTO 5 too many times.”_

 

They were the RFA’s last line of defence right now. This was going to go _swimmingly_. Yoosung suppressed a snicker, looking through the binoculars and doing what his friend had asked. He just hoped Seven didn’t actually play this like he played GTO 5. That usually ended with him dead in the burning wreckage of a car, which would have been less than ideal today.

  


While sneaking into the building, it occurred to Yoosung that this place seemed far too quiet for what the exterior promised. This place should have been crawling with people going about their daily whatever it was cultists did, but there were practically tumbleweeds in here. It was making him really nervous again. He still whispered, just in case.

 

“Seven, I don’t like this. Where is everyone?”

 

_“I don’t know. All we have to do is get into the server room, hack in, and download the information; then we can get the Hell out of here. I think it’s over there.”_

 

The blue glow coming from the room at the end of the hall did seem to suggest there could be a computer monitor or two in there. They poked their heads around the corner and looked in, finding a massive array of large monitors in front of a desk. Jackpot. This _had_ to be the hacker’s room, right? The two made their way into the room, ducking behind the couch at the back. As soon as they were certain no one was in here either, Seven set his backpack down.

 

_“Okay. Infiltration success. It took longer than I expected but we didn’t leave a single trace.”_

 

“Seven… you’re amazing. You really haven’t done this before?”

 

Yoosung was really beyond doubting that the redhead didn’t have experience, but he could still try to ask.

 

_“Hey. Of course I haven’t.”_

 

He couldn’t help but voice his biggest concern once more.

 

“But the building is completely empty. Where did all people go?”

 

_“I think they ran away. They’re fast. I don’t know if there’s anything left to help us… Anyways… take out my computer from my bag. I should take all the data that’s left.”_

 

“Okay, wait a sec.”

 

The blonde did as he was told while Seven dealt with wires and cords, preparing his machine for the task at hand. Once he had the laptop set up, he moved and watched Seven begin furiously typing, walls of text flashing over the screen several times. Yoosung had no clue what he was doing, but it looked intense. A grin spread across the redhead’s face when the computer made a beeping noise.

 

_“Let’s hurry up. All the members must be worried sick.”_

 

He pointed to something plugged into one of the USB slots on the computer.

 

_“If for any reason I become preoccupied, I need you to make sure that stays in the slot. You can unplug the computer from the cords now, but that can’t come out. Just saying.”_

 

Yoosung nodded his head and was about to say something when a completely different voice sounded from the doorway to the room, nearly scaring him out of his skin.

 

_“Hello, strangers.”_

 

“Gahh!! A person!”

  
Both boys stood up, facing their new adversary. Seven didn’t look too terribly worried and Yoosung resisted the urge to press close to his friend’s side. The man across the room looked super weird; chalky white hair, pale green eyes, ghostly skin. His eyeliner was fantastic though. They say you think weird thoughts when you’re scared and Yoosung guessed it was true. He had so hoped things would be stupidly easy though. Why were things never easy. Before he could work himself into a nervous mess again, he heard Zifeara very clearly in his head. ‘They do whatever it takes to see a quest through.’ He wasn’t scared. This one man was not worth being scared over. He was probably the one who was after his girlfriend. He was standing in between Yoosung and the one thing he wanted more than anything else. He wouldn’t stand for much longer. Paladin Yoosung would fight this foe; vanquish him and earn enough exp to level up. Today was the day he became a man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I cut it where I did, but I'm a sucker for cliffhangers plus I don't want to break the action of actually being in Mint Eye up. I want to write it all at once! I started it the second I posted this, so it's coming!


	15. Stranger Danger?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mint Eye! Saeran! OCs! The point where I stop following cannon! Very Angry Zifeara™! Chaos!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You heard it here, folks, cannon is done! Buckle up because now it's getting crazy heavy on and off with OC involvement. But! But but! After this it's all nonsense, so there is that. lol I broke the RFA wheeeee!
> 
> ALSO: I changed the tag to warn about violence and whatnot, but it really isn't super graphic. I tagged it just in case some people get squicked out because yeah it is his eye, but it's literally one sentence and not descriptive. Just be careful!

_“Nice to meet you.”_

 

The strange man sounded overly sarcastic, but as always, Seven seemed relatively unfazed.

 

_“Oh, hello. Nice to meet you. We’re the ones who infiltrated this building.”_

 

The man tilted his head slightly, somewhat taken aback by the intruder’s directness.

 

“Seven! You can’t just _say_ that!”

 

_“I think he knows that we’re intruders already.”_

 

The man was quiet a moment, taking some time to glare Seven down. Before he could speak again, Seven tensed, hesitation thick in his voice.

 

_“Wait… a sec. You’re not…”_

 

The blonde looked to his friend, only to see confusion and well… hurt. If he didn’t know any better, he would say a look of recognition passed over Seven’s face, but that wasn’t possible… right? It wasn’t like his friend knew any insane cult members.

 

“Seven?”

 

The other man laughed and Seven was transfixed.

 

“Seven?”

 

Yoosung was just shy of touching his friend’s arm when he spoke. His voice had a slight waiver to it that the blonde had never heard before.

 

_“Yoosung. Can you… stay outside for a moment?”_

 

As much as he didn’t want to leave his friend with this weirdo, the look Seven was giving him spoke volumes. His eyes darted to the computer behind the couch. Seven wanted him to make sure the computer finished its download. While the redhead distracted the cultist, Yoosung grabbed the computer and backpack, quickly shuffling out of the room. He made very certain to not let the device in the port come loose just as Seven said. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears. The progress bar felt like it was moving excruciatingly slowly even though it wasn’t really that bad. At any second he expected everything to go wrong; to hear Seven shout for his help because the madman he was chatting with was trying to kill him.

The minutes seemed like hours but the computer finally dinged, signaling the process was through. Yoosung packed it all back into the bag and stuck his head back around the doorway to check on his friend. What he saw made his heart drop. Seven looked as though he were about to cry. And the crazy white haired man was holding something that looked unsettlingly like a detonator. His fears were confirmed once the man spoke again.

 

_“Here, Luciel, me… and Zifeara too. We can all happily go to Paradise together.”_

 

‘Seven, just take it from him. He’s so close to you…’ Yoosung thought frantically. This crazy bastard just threatened his girlfriend. And Seven just stood there, looking defeated.

 

_“...Please.”_

 

_“Go ahead. Now…”_

 

The man held the switch out, putting one hand just above the button on top so that all he had to do was push down. Seven reached for his hand, but not the one holding the switch… the one held just over the button. Seven had lost his damn mind. Yoosung’s feet were moving before he knew what he was doing, propelling him into the room.

 

“Seven!!!”

 

The man smiled a very unstable smile at him.

 

_“Oh right. That kid will disappear too.”_

 

“Seven, _wake up_! What is wrong with you?”

 

The redhead looked at him for just a moment, face suggesting he was going to be sick. A faint glimmer of understanding passed through his eyes.

 

“You know him?”

 

The psycho’s smile widened.

 

_“Of course. Although he ran away after saying he’d protect me.”_

 

Yoosung looked from Seven to the button in the man’s hand. He was so hoping it only blew up _this_ building. Maybe it was just the self-destruct for if people invaded this place. _Please_ let that be it.

 

“What is that switch?”

 

That seemed to snap Seven back to reality. The crazy had backed away from Seven when Yoosung came in, so now the blonde was closer to him.

 

_“No. Yoosung, he can’t press it. Stop him!”_

 

That was all he needed. That one button was the end of everything he loved. So be it. Everything happened so quickly after that. Yoosung threw himself at their enemy, wrapping one hand around the one holding the detonator, ensuring none of those fingers could possibly press the button and grabbing the man’s other hand. Those green eyes bored right into him as the cultist tried desperately to struggle loose, to push the switch, anything. He was stronger than the blonde.

 

“Seven! Help me!”

 

_“Let it… go! Hey kid… we’re all going to disappear together. Without a trace!”_

 

Seven was still trying to focus, frozen in place with a look of indecision on his face. Getting the upper hand, the stranger sneered gleefully at the young man fighting so hard to stop him.

 

_“That Zifeara girl you love will come with us…!”_

 

Big mistake. That gave Yoosung a new burst of righteous fury. This switch could not be pressed. This had never been about him, but now that just upped the stakes. Zifeara wouldn’t be safe until he got this thing away from this man. He was back in control of this struggle, but he couldn’t do everything, damnit.

 

“Seven! The information’s all transferred. Get that first!”

 

He indicated to the backpack that was now sitting in the doorway. The redhead was coming back. He saw the familiar bag and stumble-ran towards it, picking it up to see his computer inside.

 

_“Oh, uh… Oh. This?”_

 

Yoosung dug his thumb into the man’s wrist, causing him to cry out and drop the switch. Thank _god_ it didn’t land on the button. He kicked it towards the still dazed Seven. The adrenaline, among other things, was making him testy.

 

“Yes! What are you _doing_? Get that switch~!”

 

The redhead bent down to grab it, making the crazed man struggle harder against the blonde again.

 

_“Let go…! Don’t touch it!”_

 

Now that Seven had the device, Yoosung shoved the man as hard as he could away from the doorway, racing towards his friend and pushing them both through.

 

“Seven, hurry!”

 

He moved them at a run down the hallway, back the way they had come. They didn’t need to care about stealth now since they knew this place was empty. Yoosung practically pushed Seven half the way till he ran on his own. They stopped for a couple of seconds to catch their breath.

 

_“I got it… the switch.”_

 

Seven still looked dazed and the blonde couldn’t risk the psycho catching up to them. He could not have this back. He pushed the redhead again, nearly knocking him over. He had to make sure that guy wasn’t coming back.

 

“Take it and run, hurry. _Hurry_!”

 

_“But…!”_

 

“Get out! I’ll follow you! I’m right behind you, _go_!”

 

If LOLOL taught him anything, it was that someone had to cover the rear when escaping. He was good at that. At least ‘run’ was something that registered in Seven’s brain right now. Watching the redhead go and keep going gave him a sense of relief that at least that was taken care of. Just as he was about to continue running himself, a now too familiar voice from the open door way next to him made the blonde jump.

 

_“You destroyed everything.”_

 

One hand wrapped around his waist and the other over his mouth to prevent him from calling out to his retreating friend. This was the worst game of guess who ever played. The hands drug Yoosung back into the dark room, the only light coming from the doorway. He was thrown to the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of him. A weight on his chest prevented him from getting up.

 

_“I have to give you a souvenir, no?”_

 

Hands grabbed his wrists, one of which moved it by his side so the white haired man could pin it down with his knee, the other was moved to just next to his head.

 

_“You messed everything up.”_

 

The man was sitting on him, eerily silhouetted in the faint light in the hallway. His mint green eyes seemed to glow with malicious intent.

 

_“It’s all because of you!!”_

 

He brought his free hand down to Yoosung’s throat, constricting harshly and making the blonde choke out a whimper. The man made a strange, raspy sound before loosening his grip slightly.

 

 _“Tell you what, I’ll give you one chance to make this up to me. Let’s have a_ **_chat_ ** _. Talk. About Zifeara. Tell me something I don’t know about her and I may not hurt you as badly.”_

 

Yoosung swallowed now that he was able. And he laughed. Only as much as the body weight on his chest allowed.

 

“She’s kind and warm and wonderful. And she’s safe. You can’t get to her anymore. I would never let you hurt my girlfriend.”

 

The man grimaced before smirking, a horrible thing that pulled his mouth at a weird angle. This was the look of insanity.

 

_“Too bad. I could have worked you into my plans. Hahaha, safe. You wish.”_

 

The man removed his hand from Yoosung’s throat before reaching backwards, pulling a knife from the holster in his boot. He leaned over again, pressing the blade to the blonde’s side, running it over his shirt before pushing down harder; just hard enough to cut through the fabric and draw blood. He cackled as the younger boy cried out, writhing to try to lessen the pressure placed on the knife.

 

_“In a lot of pain? Good. Oh. You said your dream was to become a vet.”_

 

Yoosung’s eyes widened. How in the world could he have known that? The RFA didn’t even know that. _Zifeara_ barely even knew that...

 

“H-how did you…”

 

_“I know everything about you. Not just you but everyone in the RFA.”_

 

The man brought the knife up to Yoosung’s face, softly running the tip from his temple to the side of his cheek. He seemed to get a distracted look in his eyes as he tilted his head slightly, face just inches away from the blonde’s own.

 

_“It’s so creepy to hear you actually calling him... Seven. Don’t trust Luciel too much. He’s a liar.”_

 

“No…”

 

Seven was his best friend. Right now he was outside, figuring out how to come in here and help him. Keeping Zifeara safe for him.

 

_“Now… let’s see how I can destroy your dream to become a vet.”_

 

The creep held the blade just in front of Yoosung’s face so he could see the size of it and how the edge glinted in the light from the hallway. How his own blood ran down its surface.

 

_“Hmm~”_

 

He moved the knife to the hand right next to the blonde’s face.

 

_“Fingers?”_

 

The blade grazed his index finger, just at the first joint by his knuckle, resulting in little more than a papercut. When Yoosung didn’t make a sound, he brought the knife back up, licking the still fresh blood from it.

 

_“No… Not fingers…”_

 

The man smiled that awful lopsided grin again, this time with the most evil glint in his eye Yoosung had never even imagined possible.

 

_“What would you say Zifeara thinks your best feature is? Hmm?”_

 

“W-what?”

 

 _“What do you think it is she finds most…_ **_attractive_ ** _about you? I know she thinks you’re cute. Do you think it’s your hair?”_

 

He ran the knife along Yoosung’s forehead, just shy of his scalp.

 

_“That delicate mouth of yours?”_

 

The blade passed over his bottom lip.

 

_“You know what I think it is?”_

 

He leaned down and whispered sadistically into the blonde’s ear.

 

 _“I think it’s your_ **_eyes_ ** _.”_

 

Yoosung swallowed hard. Zifeara _had_ told him she liked his eyes. For all the same reasons he liked hers. He was so glad he had gotten to see her at least once before he would never get the chance to. If he never saw her, that was fine. He just had to be alive to hear her _breathe_ . _Feel_ her exist. He’d lose _everything_ to just know she was okay. He had made sure she was okay. He was ready for whatever was about to happen to him. Zifeara was alive and so very worth it. He didn’t think he could scream so loudly but then again, he’d never had someone drag a knife across his eye before.

 

***

 

Seven burst from the building, panting hard and making a mad dash for his car. He was almost there when he realized he didn’t hear a second set of footsteps behind him. He whirled around, noticing the distinct lack of fluffy blonde hair.

 

“Shit, shit! What did I _do_?!”

 

He pulled out his phone when rustling in the bushes next to him made him freeze. More cult members? Seven spun towards the noise, only to see a small, dark-skinned girl. She wasn’t dressed for a cult meeting, but who knows; maybe Mint Eye had a pretty lax dress code. She looked him up and down and then behind him as well.

 

_“You aren’t the right one. Where’s the other one?”_

 

Seven didn't have words right now.

 

“Who… who are you?”

 

_“Where is the other one?”_

 

The girl narrowed her eyes and didn't wait for an answer. She waved over her shoulder and shoved past Seven, a solidly built man appearing from the trees to follow her. They were making their way into the building. Like he should be doing. He _really_ hoped these two were somehow on his side. Quickly moving back down the halls, he could barely keep up with the girl even though she was so tiny. He really didn't know where in here his friend could be right now, but the heart wrenching scream coming from somewhere not too far away from their current position told him they were close. _Shit_.

 

Before the scream had even stopped the two strangers had broken into a full on sprint. Like terrifying homing pigeons they ran down two halls and turned sharply into the nearly empty room. Seven caught up just in time to see the girl duck to the side and shout _“Fell!”_

 

Her companion took a flying leap and solidly tackled Saeran off Yoosung, pinning his hands and forcing him to drop the crimson blade he held. The blonde was very still on the floor, blood flowing down his left cheek, forming a small puddle on the floor. Seven nearly collapsed. This was… quite the day. As soon as it clicked for him that these two had just saved one of his own, that was all he needed for the moment. He turned towards the man forcing his twin very uncomfortably into the floor.

 

“Don't-! Don't hurt him… please. He's my brother.”

 

***

 

Yoosung couldn't see very well, but he could feel the weight on his chest lift very suddenly. He could hear shouting. Seven had come back for him. His head was swimming, so he couldn't really tell, but he was almost certain the hands holding him right now were too small to belong to his friend. And even though everything through his left eye looked red, his right was telling him whoever was in front of him was too… dark to be Seven either. And sounded kinda… girly.

 

 _“Alright, you're okay. It's just a scratch. We’re getting you out of here okay?”_ The little hand pat him gently on the head. _“Think you can sit up so I can patch you up?”_

 

Yoosung sort of mumbled and instinctively moved a hand to wipe the blood off his face as though he had just been crying a moment ago.

 

The other person grabbed his hand firmly. _“No no no. Don't do that. I’ll fix it, just don't touch it yet.”_

 

Now sitting, the vision in his right eye cleared a little, making him realize he had no clue who the Hell this was. He vaguely heard Seven somewhere talking to someone else, so he assumed all was well but… Yoosung slurred his words as though he were drunk.

 

“Who… who’re you...?”

 

The girl laughed. _“Well Mr. Paladin, I'm the cavalry.”_

 

He didn't get more than that before she started carefully wiping blood off his face. He was really, _really_ tired. Way too tired to fight whatever was happening to him. Somewhere in his mind, what she had said to him was knocking around, yelling some sort of understanding at him, but he didn't really care right now. She was trying to get him off the ground. Yoosung’s legs didn't want to move, but he made them. This girl was pretty small, but she still managed to move him where where she wanted him to go, eventually leaning him up against Seven’s car. His redheaded friend eventually followed, talking to the man the girl had come with… who had the psycho slung over his shoulder. The cultist was quiet, most likely knocked out and seemed to have his wrists bound together. Did these people carry around zip ties? Was that a thing literally anyone did? The girl seemed to be done with him and said something to her companion, who handed the enemy-turned-prisoner to Seven… Great. The two new people seemed to be leaving, so Yoosung called out to the girl.

 

“H-hey! Uhm...”

 

_“Yeah?”_

 

“I still don't even know who you are… but thank you…”

 

The girl grinned. _“Sure thing. Just get on back now okay?”_

 

He gave a weak smile before Seven unlocked the car, putting their new _friend_ in the back seat. Yoosung thought he was going to die with how comfortable the passenger seat in this car felt after everything that had happened; not even wanting the answers to the million questions floating around in his skull right now. He was scared to do it, but he flipped the little mirror in the sun visor down, trying to determine to exactly what extent he looked like complete shit. It wasn't that bad, if he was honest. He could pass off being ok. So long as he didn't open is eye… Oooh, good. He was… going to miss the party. He couldn't miss the party. Zifeara worked really hard for this party… _SHIT. Zifeara was going to kill him._ She told him not to do the stupid thing and he did the _really_ stupid thing. Well… he did it for her. That was acceptable. Right? She was gonna kill him.

 

He grabbed one of the water bottles he had stowed from earlier and started furiously wiping any remnants of blood off himself and out of his hair. He could not look hurt. He had to not be hurt for long enough that everyone would leave him alone for a while. Just long enough for them to all go to the party. He would not let all of Zifeara's hard work go to waste. At least cleaning himself up had helped him calm down. He called Zifeara to tell her he was fine, his ruse almost thrown out the window when he accidentally hissed from getting water in his injured eye. He assured her again and again that he was fine, getting her off the phone before taking a quick nap. Sleep fixed everything.

 

When he came to, Yoosung was leaning against the window, a thin trail of drool flowing from his mouth. He jumped and looked around, trying to determine where they were.

 

 _“I’m… really,_ **_really_ ** _sorry, Yoosung.”_

 

Since Seven was on his left, the blonde had to turn his head all the way to look at him. The redhead looked as though he had been crying.

 

_“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen… I want to tell you why I froze like an idiot… why this happened to you… But I don’t think I can right now. I’d rather tell the whole RFA at once. I’m so sorry… You probably saved my skin back there and I let you get hurt…”_

 

Yoosung sighed. Seven wasn’t wrong. What had happened was pretty much all his fault but…

 

“I forgive you.”

 

The redhead glanced at him quickly in surprise before returning his attention to the road.

 

“I knew what could happen if I went with you. I was ready for far worse than this, to be honest. Of course I wasn’t _hoping_ for anything to happen but… I would have taken a lot worse than this for Zifeara and the RFA. Besides, we don’t even know how bad… _this_ is. It might… might be nothing.”

 

Seven visibly swallowed. His eyes looked like they were beginning to tear up again.

 

_“Once everything settles down… I want to make this up to you so badly. I almost wish you’d just hate me, but… hahaha… you’re too nice for that.”_

 

The blonde smiled softly before looking out the window again.

 

“Seven, where are we?”

 

_“Um, about an hour from the hospital.”_

 

He had time. Yoosung pulled his phone out and logged into the messenger. He had someone worried about him.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

_Zifeara has entered the chatroom_

 

**Zifeara: _Yoosung Kim, where have you been?!_**

_Zifeara! :Yoosung★_

_I’m sorry, after you called I was_ **_really_ ** _tired and kind of… passed out in Seven’s car. :Yoosung★_

_We’re on our way back though! :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: I’m so glad! So glad you’re back._

**_Zifeara, I missed you. :Yoosung★_ **

**_I really really missed you. I can’t even tell you how much I missed you… :Yoosung★_ **

_Zifeara: I missed you too, pumpkin._

_I’m sorry I worried you. :Yoosung★_

_I made you wait too long. :Yoosung★_

_I logged in first since everyone must be worried. :Yoosung★_

_Seven will get here soon. :Yoosung★_

_I’m safe :Yoosung★_

 

Yoosung was happy he took the time to clean himself up earlier. He held his phone out and snapped a picture, making sure his eye was completely closed, hopefully just looking like he was winking for Zifeara.

 

_No need to worry now…! :Yoosung★_

_See, everything’s good. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: God, you are never leaving me again. I was so worried!_

_I won’t. :Yoosung★_

_I’m so… sorry. :Yoosung★_

 

Not just for making her worry and leaving her to wonder if he was ok. He could only pretend he wasn’t hurt from all this for so long… He couldn’t hide this from her when she saw him…

 

_I’ll never leave you by yourself again. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Are you hurt?_

 

...Nnnoooo. God, she wasn’t even talking to him and he felt so guilty about lying. He just really needed her to not freak out right now.

 

_Hehe… :Yoosung★_

_We went to the hideout. :Yoosung★_

_I promised Seven not to talk about what I saw and heard yet. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Yoosung, that isn’t what I asked you._

_Don’t worry. :Yoosung★_

_When I get to meet you and we start seeing each other… :Yoosung★_

_I’ll tell you everything. :Yoosung★_

_But I can’t right now. :Yoosung★_

 

He was so hoping she’d drop it. He couldn’t bare to tell her he was hurt. She’d drop _everything_ if he did. He couldn’t let her efforts for the party be in vain.

 

_Zifeara: I’m glad you’re safe._

 

Oh thank god.

 

**_There was no way I wouldn’t return for you._ ** _:Yoosung★_

**_You were… the only one I kept thinking about._ ** _:Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Ok, there is no more insanity. The bomb is safe, no more hackers, no more bullshit._

_Zifeara: We can see each other now, right?_

_Yes…! :Yoosung★_

_Please forgive me... if I’m a bit late. :Yoosung★_

_I’m really tired right now… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Just get some rest for now. You did so well._

_Thank you… :Yoosung★_

_I want to see you… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara. :Yoosung★_

_Thank you for waiting… :Yoosung★_

_And… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: I love you._

_No fair! I love you too. :Yoosung★_

_I’m... still really sleepy. I’m going to take another nap. :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara: Okay. Go back to sleep, hun._

_Okay… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara… :Yoosung★_

_My precious girl… :Yoosung★_

_I’ll talk to you later. :Yoosung★_

 

He must have been smiling stupidly again. He almost forgot Seven was there.

 

_“Did you tell her?”_

 

“N-no. I don’t want her to know yet. Please don’t say anything to her or the others. I just… I want them to be able to enjoy the party without worrying about me. This was all pointless if the party doesn’t happen.”

 

Seven reluctantly nodded and it was quiet for a little while. Yoosung must have actually fallen asleep again because the next thing he knew, the redhead was shaking him gently.

 

_“Hey, come on. We have to get you taken care of. Listen… I know you said not to tell anyone about your eye, but I did tell V. There are… a few things I’d like to ask him, so when he comes to see you, I’ll keep him away, okay?”_

 

The blonde scowled but he supposed that was fair. V might be a fuck, but he was still the leader of the RFA. So long as this knowledge was restricted to the three of them, he supposed it was okay. Seven hauled the guy out of his backseat, using a pocket knife to cut the zip tie from his hands before they were set upon by a very familiar set of sunglasses.

 

_“Luciel, Yoosung!”_

 

V was fast. Seven glared at V in a way Yoosung had never seen before. They were _those_ kind of questions, huh? The older man hugged him tightly, making Yoosung squirm, but this seemed to be something he wasn’t getting out of. At least that gave Seven a chance to sneak past V and into the hospital.

 

_“Yoosung, I was so worried. Where are you hurt?”_

 

Right. V couldn’t really see.

 

“I uhm… my… left eye. I’ve got a cut running up my right side too.”

 

V was always pale, but now he looked downright ghostly. He quietly ushered the younger man into reception and got paperwork filled out while they waited. Since he was in a stable condition, he would have to wait for a doctor for a little while. He was fidgeting, not really wanting to sit still but not wanting to move either. What were they going to have to do to his eye? He’d never had surgery before… what if it was really scary? He knew what he wanted more than anything right now… He told V where he was going so that when the doctor came for him, V knew where to point. He made his way over to a quiet little corner, reserved for hushed phone calls. As per usual, Zifeara picked up immediately.

 

_“Hey, are you feeling better? Did you make it all the way back?”_

 

“Gosh… I love this voice~ I had no idea I’d be this happy to hear your voice again.”

 

_“Hun, you still sound awful. Are you sure you’re alright?”_

 

Now it was sort of cute how much she worried. They’d only been talking to each other officially for 10 days and she was so invested. Obviously so was he.

 

“Hmm? I don’t sound too well? Oh… I’m just tired. Being a hero is a lot of work you know, hehe. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. I just wanted to hear your voice… I can’t calm down thinking that I’ll finally see you tomorrow. I want to see you so bad…”

 

_“Hmm… I want to see you too, babe. Are you sure you’re okay to come to the party tomorrow? You’ve probably been through alot and I wouldn’t-”_

 

“N-no! I can come, it’s fine! I just need a good night’s sleep. You worked really hard for this party, so I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Besides, I have to see you.”

 

A young lady came up to him and asked if he was Yoosung Kim. It must be his turn. He nodded to her.

 

“What? Oh… right now? Uh, just a moment. I was on the phone. I have to go do something right now…”

 

_“Yoosung, where are you? I thought you said you were back.”_

 

“Uhm… I-I’m outside. I’ll go home soon. I just wanted to hear you for a minute. The party will be perfect tomorrow… so don’t worry, okay?”

 

_“Of course it will. Great party or no… I’ve really only been thinking about you~”_

 

Great, now the nurse would think he had a fever or something. He could feel the blush spreading itself across his face. He was feeling sort of confident now though; he had totally saved lives today and that deserved a bit of cheek.

 

“I know this is funny right now… but I’m having so many thoughts about tomorrow. When I see you… this is a bit naughty but… I’m thinking about where I’m going to kiss you first.”

 

_“Ooooh, is that a challenge? Hahaha, I’m starting to rub off you, aren’t I? I can’t believe you just said that!”_

 

“Haha, I said it… I’m not the only one here, either… Thanks for waiting for me. I know a lot of things happened but eventually, I was able to protect you. I’m happy with that. I love you…”

 

_“I love you too, Yoosung. I’ll see you soon~”_

 

“Oh, they’re staring at me now… I have to go. See you tomorrow. Have a good night…”

 

He quietly made a kissing noise into the phone before turning it off. He was escorted into an examination room so that a doctor could look at the cut on his side, saying that would just need dressing and some antiseptic before taking a look at the bigger problem. It hurt when the doctor held his eye open, shining a light in it to better see the extent of the damage. He wrote a few things down, asked Yoosung to do a few tests, wrote some more things, then excused himself while a nurse came in to deal with his cut. It wasn’t even that deep, so at least that wasn’t so bad.

It was the waiting that was killing him. The doctor was taking forever to come back and he was starting to get worried about why. Yoosung could actually almost see… something out of his left eye, so it couldn’t be _that_ bad right? Leaving the blonde with his thoughts was so far the worst thing that could have been done to him right now. All he could think about was how much everyone was going to flip about this. Thinking about what Zifeara would do was almost as scary as trying to think of what he could tell his _mother_ had happened to him. Her he could at least outright lie to about that… He was happy he could still see out of one of his eyes though. It was far better than nothing.

Also who in the world were those people who had come to get him? He didn’t recognize either of them. The girl though… she… she had called him Paladin when she was cleaning him up, he was sure of it. There was only one other person who did that. There was no way they were related… right? That was completely impossible. Yoosung jumped when the door opened again, this time allowing a different man to come in. He introduced himself as an ophthalmologist and looked at Yoosung’s eye too, also taking down notes. After a moment of writing, he smiled.

 

_“Well, the good news is, it doesn’t look too bad. I’ve definitely seen far worse. The cut is clean and straight, meaning it has a good chance of healing. What I think is most likely to happen is if we let this heal naturally, you may simply need corrective surgery in the long run, glasses short term.”_

 

“Th-that’s it? I… this will be f-fine?”

 

The doctor smiled. He didn’t seem to be too terribly much older than Jumin, probably, 30 at most. He had a kind demeanor and seemed very sure of what he was saying.

 

_“I think so. Now, I’m going to write you down a prescription for a rinse I want you to use twice a day, morning and night, just to make sure to avoid infection, and I’d like you to stay overnight for observation, just in case. Sound like a plan?”_

 

Yoosung nodded and smiled. He wanted to be like this doctor. Easygoing but confident in his work.

 

_“Good. The nurse is going to come back in and do the rinse for you the first time and teach you how to change the wrappings you’ll have to keep on for the first 2 weeks or so. It’s nothing to be worried about, but eye injuries often tend to weep fluids, so the wraps are a must. Plus you really don’t want anything getting in there. I’ll schedule you for a followup visit in 3 weeks! Have a good night, Mr. Kim”_

 

That was such a relief. He was going to be fine! He was going to be able to _see_ just fine! Glasses were such an easy fix. He could handle glasses. The nurse did indeed come back, teaching him how to do as the doctor asked before escorting him to the room he’d be inhabiting tonight. She gave him something else to wear, telling him she’d be back for his clothes later so she could wash them. Since, you know, there was blood on them…

All of this felt like a really weird dream. The only thing making it real was the fact that his eye hurt and he couldn’t see out of it at all now that there was gauze on his head. Yoosung got into the bed, thanking the nurse when she handed him some pills to dull the pain he’d surely be feeling now and water. All in all, he really did feel like a Paladin. He had protected his own and he had a battle scar now. Well, two if the one on his side scarred up.

 

***

 

It was still dark when something woke him up. It was something familiar, earning an instant response; his eye fluttered open and he began looking around for the source of the sound. Yoosung sat up, strangely awake for the amount of stress he'd been under and the painkillers he was on. The sound was coming from the doorway to his room. He couldn't quite make out what it was, so he slipped out of bed and moved just close enough to look around the curtain divider next to his bed. He could see Seven standing in front of the doorway to his room, glowering at someone to the right of the door. The redhead hadn't seen him so Yoosung stood and listened for what had woken him up.

The blonde recognized the sound he had heard now. It was very familiar. This sound was an extremely pissed off voice. Coming from his extremely pissed off girlfriend. His heart caught in his throat. She was _not_ supposed to be here. He had also never heard her sound so furious before, not even in LOLOL. It was kind of terrifying. At this distance he could tell what she was saying now.

 

 _“-tell you something. I don't give a flying_ **_fuck_ ** _what you want right now. Right now, what I say is goddamn_ **_law_ ** _considering I'm the one who had the foresight to_ **_do_ ** _something instead of sitting around being a bitch while my family was in trouble. You are so goddamn lucky I have at least five aces up my sleeve at any given time.”_

 

Someone else must have said something much quieter; Seven made a face and Zifeara was off again.

 

 _“_ **_Bite me_ ** _, Jihyun. I don't think you get it. I'll say it again, but in a different way so maybe you'll understand me this time; I will fight you for that boy and frankly I think the last place in the world he needs to be is in a hospital. He's going to need help adjusting to not having a full range of depth perception, which_ **_you_ ** _of all people should know by now. So_ **_shove it_ ** _and get away from me before I let Luciel deck you this time.”_

 

Seven looked his way now, eyes widening upon seeing the blonde. A small smile spread itself over his face as he looked forward into the hallway again, reaching an arm in front of him.

 

_“Hey.”_

 

_“What?!”_

 

Seven’s smile turned to a full on grin.

 

_“I think someone wants to see you.”_

 

The redhead moved forward and out of sight, presumably to, as Zifeara put it, deck V. For what, who knew, but Yoosung wanted to be the first in line for popcorn. All rational thought was out the window the second Zifeara stepped into view. Granted he did know that she would be stunning beyond all reason, but the picture she sent and seeing her from a ways away hadn't prepared him for… what he was actually looking at. Even in plain black jeans and a wolf tshirt, she looked amazing. Forget nicely proportioned, her figure and the gentle curves of her face could kill.

Upon seeing him, her eyes lit up and she had the biggest smile oh god yeah, he was _actually_ going to die. This would be the best death. Yoosung felt himself stop breathing and just stared. His limbs wouldn't move, mouth wouldn't form words, brain wouldn't function. He could feel his eye tear up. She was right there, safe and fine and apparently happy to see him.

 

_“Yoosung!”_

 

Zifeara ran towards him, throwing her arms around his neck, one hand burying itself in his hair. She was just barely shorter than he was, managing to place her face comfortably in the crook of his neck, softly nuzzling his skin. They fit together like puzzle pieces. Once she had slammed into him, Yoosung felt the air being knocked out of him in a stuttering sigh, making the rest of his body move again. He wrapped his arms tightly around his girlfriend, breathing in everything about her and melting into her embrace. He never wanted to let go.

After at least a solid two minutes of just trying to merge into a single being, she pulled back a little to actually look at him. One hand stayed around his neck while the other moved to lay on his cheek. He couldn't help the tears still working their way out of his eye, but he did manage a shaky laugh.

 

“Hi.”

 

Zifeara was tearing up too. Her laugh sounded just as unstable as his, but it was there.

 

_“H-hi. You're not a good liar.”_

 

He broke her gaze and opened his mouth to say something, but she stopped whatever was about to come out with her own. The hand that was still behind his head pulled him into the kiss and his eye slowly shut; completely forgetting everything except how completely fantastic Zifeara's lips felt against his own. It was short and sweet and so perfect. He felt like everything was okay with the world again. Once she looked at him again, she smiled for a moment, now putting both her hands on his cheeks to hold his face. Yoosung didn't like it when her smile faltered. Zifeara ran her right hand over the wrappings concealing his left eye.

 

“It isn't really that bad, I promise.”

 

_“I know, but…”_

 

He grabbed her hand and held it to his chest, pressing their foreheads together. He lowered his voice to barely a whisper.

 

“It was well worth it.”

 

She simply hummed and splayed her fingers out, now running her thumb over his breastbone. That finally got it to sink into his mind that he had just had his first kiss and was now fairly intimately situated with a girl so out of his league, he was pretty sure he had to be playing the wrong _sport_. It was almost as if Zifeara could feel the heat now radiating from his face because she pulled back a little again. Her laugh was even more amazing in person.

 

_“You better get used to this; you're going to be seeing a whole Hell of a lot more of me now~”_

 

“I-I can live with that. What time is it?”

 

_“Pretty early. We've got probably an hour before the sun comes up.”_

 

“Mmm. How… uhm, how long have you been here? And what did Seven tell you? And was that _V_ you were yelling at?”

 

Zifeara pushed him back until he bumped into the bed, getting him to sit down while she stood over him; just in between his legs and now running a hand rhythmically through his hair. Yoosung tried really hard to pay attention, but he couldn't help melting into her touch.

 

_“Since about half an hour after you fell asleep, not more than I needed to know, and yes. I know what happened to you and somewhat about who did this. I also know I was wrong about V… and that you were right. I can trust him only about as far as I can throw him. So a few feet.”_

 

“What do you mean? _Now_ what did he do? He didn't do anything to you, did he? If he did I swear-”

 

_“Shhh, no, not to me. To Seven. He doesn't want to talk about it yet, but from what little he did tell me since we had… a very information heavy discussion earlier… I can't trust V with anything important to me. Meaning… I can't leave you with the RFA right now.”_

 

Yoosung must have been giving her a very confused and worried look. Zifeara brought the hand not running through his hair to rest on his cheek and gave a forced smile.

 

_“You're going to need to take some time off from school to let your eye heal. Your depth perception is going to be a little thrown off which means you'll be running into things a lot. V wanted you to stay here in the hospital while you were acclimating and… hahaha, depending on how much you heard…”_

 

He smiled a little, trying not to laugh at the bits of conversation he did catch, putting his own hands lightly on Zifeara's hips.

 

“I heard enough. You have no idea how much I'd pay to see you fight V. So you don't want me to stay here, I don't want to either, but then where am I going? Back to my apartment?”

 

_“No, honey. You're… you're coming home with me.”_

 

He could feel his face heating up. Going with… with Zifeara? To _her_ house? And staying with her? _Alone?!_ This was… he was dreaming. There was no way…

 

“Uh… I-um, wh-what?”

 

His voice was barely more than a hushed squeak. Zifeara looked amused but collected, clearly anticipating this reaction.

 

_“It'll be easier for me to help you adjust if I can actually be around you all day. Something tells me your apartment isn't really meant for two. Besides, with everything that's happened…”_

 

Her tone got more serious and she stopped petting his hair. Both hands were now on his face and making sure he was looking her square in the eye.

 

_“I am not letting you out of my sight. Not till I can make sure you'll be safe by yourself.”_

 

If he had been standing, Yoosung’s legs probably would have threatened to give out. His girlfriend's demeanor was dark and commanding and something about that made his heart flutter. She was worried about him. _Very_ worried. While that should be concerning… he kinda liked that tone. This was _really_ not what he should be focusing on right now…

 

“Oh-okay Zifeara. I mean… I don't really want to be away from you either. I-I, well, _we_ still um… We can have our sleepovers now, right?”

 

He gave a lopsided grin, hoping Zifeara wouldn't notice what putty he was becoming in her hands. She looked surprised for half a second, realizing how serious she'd been, before returning his smile. She kept hold of his face to lean down a little and press their heads together again, lowering her voice.

 

_“Mhm, and we can watch movies and eat junk and play games… and cuddle on my couch.”_

 

They locked eyes at that last part, making the fading blush from earlier flood back into the blonde's face with a vengeance. She noticed. Zifeara's tone went back to something deep, though not quite as… as… _possessive_ as a moment ago. That's what it was; he was getting hot and bothered over how demanding she was being, how much it wasn't negotiable that she alone could have him. He had accidentally fallen into something _wonderful_.

 

_“And I can make you turn this cute shade of red for me by kissing you all day.”_

 

Yoosung was done. His brain was gone. Gone and done and completely unable to comprehend what was happening to him. He made a strange sort of groaning/whimpering noise that he didn't even have the capacity to feel ashamed of before pulling her closer and down into his lap. He buried his burning face into her shoulder, feeling her melodic giggle rumble through her chest. He didn't even realize Seven was in the room till she said something.

 

_“Jealousy doesn't become us, Luciel.”_

 

Zifeara was looking over her shoulder at the hacker, who simply stood smiling over them.

 

_“You've only had him for 20 minutes and you've already broken him. I told you he was delicate!”_

 

_“Hmm, I guess I'll just have to fix him later~ What's up, Seven?”_

 

_“He’ll be discharged at 9. Do you think… think that's enough time to get you both to the party?”_

 

_“Do you really think we should be so terribly worried about the damn party right now?”_

 

The blonde looked back up, giving his girlfriend a pleading stare.

 

“No! This is the first party the RFA has had since… It’s Zifeara’s first party and everyone put a lot of work into this. I want to go. I want _us_ to go. I feel fine. Please?”

 

Zifeara sighed. Yoosung was trying his best to put on the strongest puppy eyes he could muster. Evidently it was working.

 

 _“Oh… fine. But first_ **_you_ ** _are going back to sleep; you still need to rest after all of that and won’t be let out for another few hours. I’ll be back when they do discharge you to take you back to your place so you can take a shower and get changed, okay?”_

 

Yoosung nodded enthusiastically, giving her one more squeeze before she got up, placing a kiss to his forehead and ruffling his hair. She and Seven left, resuming a hushed conversation once they reached his doorway. He knew it was illogical since Zifeara had been literally sitting on him a second ago but… seeing them talking like that about something he wasn’t privy to… he felt itchy again. Hell, it might not even be about something he didn’t know; Seven could just be telling her what happened at Mint Eye since she clearly knew more than the rest of the RFA did on the matter. That didn’t make the feeling go away.

He lay back down and got under the blankets, trying to at least attempt to do as his girlfriend had asked. Well… told. That made him smile a little again. Zifeara was in overprotective Dragon mode and it was definitely… _interesting_. He had defended her from the threat looming over the RFA and now she was protecting him from… something. Something to do with V. Whatever it was, he had a feeling the RFA was about to change forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Party next chapter and then profit? Everything after chapter 16 is fluff, angst, smut, or a combination of all three!


	16. The Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is the day of the party. Everything totally goes according to plan. The one chapter where everything is chill. And Zen is Zen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada! It's finally here! Now I can move on with my writing life! Chapter is a tiny bit long but it does end with the promise of fluff. Many fluff. Much smut. So problems. Wow.

He tried. Really he did. But with everything that had just happened, there was no way Yoosung was going to fall back asleep. He was too busy thinking about what V could have possibly done worse than keeping Rika’s depression a secret from them or not telling them anything at all for so long. Whatever it was, it had instilled a fury in both Seven and Zifeara the likes of which he had never seen… _Right_ . Zifeara… his _girlfriend_. Once he was down that line of thought, there was definitely no sleep to be had.

The blonde hadn't known what to expect the first time they met. He had wanted to be so cool and play off what had happened to him for her, but he just ended up crying. He hadn't had enough time to prepare… On the very positive side, she had just straight up kissed him, so he wasn't _too_ badly off… He rolled over in his bed and hugged a pillow tightly to his chest in order to suppress the very unbecoming squeal threatening to exit his mouth. He had a _girlfriend_. One who was attractive beyond all reason; so much so that surely his friends would be jealous. One who he was going to have to work very hard to keep. He had nearly lost an eye for this woman, how hard could doing schoolwork and spoiling her when he could be in comparison?

On the other hand, this was terrifying. Now that he had seen Zifeara in person and close up, Yoosung had 100% confirmation that he was not good enough for her. He was so plain and boring and… tame. She was the equivalent of a herd of wild unicorns and he was an unpainted rocking horse. There was no way he was going to be able to keep her. How was she even single? And somehow considered him of all people to be worth even a second of her time? He was a train wreck at the best of times. He was… starting to give himself anxiety. Zifeara had told him to focus on the good and let himself stay there. His eye could be fixed. Mint Eye was being handled. V was probably going to get his shit kicked in by somebody. Soon. And he'd be able to see that. The first RFA party in nearly two years was coming up in a few hours. Yoosung wasn't sure when he'd gotten up and started pacing around, but it had been long enough ago that when he stood looking out the window, the sun was rising. He could see it as being a metaphor for how the rest of his life would be different now, but all that did was bring more anxiety and worry back. The sun always set at some point.

 

***

 

As good as it looked, this dress was kind of hard to breathe in. Zifeara almost never had occasion to wear the bloody thing, but damn did she look good in it; corset top with a fluffy skirt covered by a mesh overlay of bats. All of it was black of course, but that meant the dress just looked rather pretty until you got close enough to tell what the pattern on the bottom was. She did her long black hair up simply for this, merely blow drying it after her shower so it was extra wavy. She was easy on the makeup today too, opting for a simple smokey eye and some lip gloss. It would be a shame to scare all the people coming to the RFA party this early on, but there was no way she'd be dressing out of character for anything. Especially not her first time meeting the other members. Luciel already knew her dressing tendencies because he was a nosey bastard, but everyone else could stand to be surprised. Zifeara couldn't wait to see the look on the other’s faces.

Getting back to the hospital, she opted to just wait for one of the nurses to bring Yoosung to her. Apparently his paperwork was processing strangely due to ‘technical anomalies’. Three guesses as to who that could be attributed to. But thankfully, it meant she was on the list of people who would be allowed to hover around the blonde in medical emergencies. A certain bespectacled ginger had taken a very immediate, very _strong_ liking to her after yesterday's conversation and sharing of secret information the others needn't be privy to yet. Speaking of…

 

_“Zifeara?”_

 

Looking off down a hallway, she saw Seven standing near a vending machine, getting himself some coffee. He offered her a weary smile as she made her way over to greet him.

 

“Hey, Seven. How are you holding up? Is he okay?”

 

_“Yeah, you saw him last night, you know Yoosung will be just fine. The doctors said it was very treatable. You look fantastic, by the way.”_

 

“Thank you, hun, but I didn't mean Yoosung… Your brother.”

 

The redhead looked down, not meeting her gaze.

 

_“Y-yeah. He's… he's very unhappy right now. About… well everything really. He’ll likely go through withdrawals soon and that'll last a while and then… I don't know. I'll have to wait and see. Uhm…”_

 

He looked back up, golden irises gleaming with sincerity and emotion.

 

_“I know I've said this before, but it wasn't in more than passing since things were so hectic and there was… a lot that needed to be said. But thank you. I mean it. If you hadn't have done what you did, I may not have been able to get him back. As far as I'm concerned, you and I are set for life. Anything you need… ever… just ask.”_

 

“Hahaha, thank you. I'm just glad there was a happy side effect of me not trusting you. It sounds bad, but it proved wise.” Zifeara rested a hand on Seven’s shoulder. “Just no more crazy stunts, okay? I'll ask you if you ask me. Deal?”

 

He smiled, moving closer to hug his co-conspirator. _“Deal.”_ Just as she was beginning to think this hug was lasting a little too long even for someone who really needed a hug, Zifeara heard Seven whisper something in a barely audible tone next to her ear. _“Saeyoung.”_ He let go and backed up, taking his coffee and giving a questioning glance over the cup as he took a sip.

He had told her his brother's name was Saeran, so… that must be his real name. She nodded and smiled, letting the hacker move around her with a wink and headed back down the corridor to keep watch over his sibling. Zifeara knew he wasn't coming to the party. They had agreed there was no way in Hell or elsewhere he'd let Saeran out of his sight for more than a few minutes. She couldn’t blame him really; she was about to do the exact same thing to Yoosung, just without the hospital lockdown.

As soon as she returned to the waiting room, she heard another familiar but no less surprised voice coming from the reception area utter her name. She would have paid money for a snapshot of the look on the blonde’s face when she turned to meet his gaze; he looked as though he might not make it to the RFA party after all.

 

“That good, huh?”

 

He continued to stare slightly open-mouthed until she sauntered her way over and gently shut it for him. Flinching slightly, that must have brought Yoosung back to Earth because now he was fidgeting nervously again, unable to look away this time. Zifeara was starting to be surprised one human being could be embarrassed this many times in such a short while, but on the other hand, red was starting to be her new favorite color.

 

_“Uhm, yes. I mean... well no, I meant yes. God, you’re gorgeous.”_

 

“Hahaha, don’t worry, I take your problems speaking to me as a compliment. You’ll get used to it. Come on, we haven’t got all day, party’s in three hours. You can tell me where you live in the car.”

 

She took his hand and moved to leave, making Yoosung follow and begin functioning again. She hadn’t parked far, so Zifeara pulled her keys out and was about to ask questions.

 

_“You have your own car, huh?”_

 

“Yep. It was my Aunt’s but he’s mine now. I love my car.”

 

_“He?”_

 

“Oh, yeah. My family has a tendency to name our vehicles and my Aunt decided it was a he.”

 

_“What’s his name?”_

 

“Weeeelll… how much do you know about religion?”

 

Before Yoosung could give more than a confused look, Zifeara let go of his hand to instead place it on the hood of the black and red Bugatti Veyron they had stopped in front of. The blonde had his mouth open again.

 

 _“That’s_ **_your_ ** _car?”_

 

She smiled. She hadn’t mentioned to him the entire time they had been speaking that she might be a little bit on the extravagantly wealthy side. She hadn’t thought it mattered.

 

“ _This_ is Azazel. I know what you’re thinking besides ‘holy shit’. Seven would have a conniption. I assure you he did. We talked cars after everything important was done.”

 

Getting into the car, they made their way to Yoosung’s apartment. Before he put the key in the lock, he took a deep breath.

 

_“Listen… My place is kind of a mess. Please ignore everything scattered all over…”_

 

“Hun, you’ve had more than one metal breakdown this week. I’d be worried if your room was immaculate.”

 

 

He smiled in appreciative relief and unlocked the door, opening it into his home. It was weird to think how doing this exact same thing little more than a week ago was the precursor to the biggest change he would surely ever see in his life. Zifeara placed herself on his bed while she waited for him to get ready to leave, making Yoosung’s heart catch in his throat. She was on his bed. She hadn’t sat in his _chair_ , she sat on his _bed_. His oscillations between crushing anxiety over losing his girlfriend to pretty much the next guy she saw, meaning Zen, and heart-pounding excitement were starting to become a bit much to handle. This was only day one and already he felt his nerves becoming threadbare.

 

_“Yoosung?”_

 

He turned at the sound of his name to find Zifeara giving him a worried look. He had been standing in front of his dresser, not moving and just staring at the wall.

 

_“You okay, babe?”_

 

 **_Babe_ ** . God, how was she settling into this so easily? He had sort of assumed from the start he wasn’t her first boyfriend, but she had been treating him as if they’d been dating for months now. They had just touched for the first time today. _How was she doing it_?

 

“Y-yeah… I’m just…”

 

_“Come here.”_

 

In a way, he was starting to settle in as well. Yoosung numbly turned and moved into Zifeara's open arms as she demanded, sighing as she wrapped them around his waist. As excited as he had been for everything, now he felt as though he hadn't slept in a month.

 

_“Hey. It's okay to feel overwhelmed. You've had a busy week. You went from feeling empty to being so full you burst. You found out things you were never meant to. You almost lost an eye for someone you've only really known for a week. You just started the first relationship you've ever been in and don't know what to do. I'm surprised you've been calm for as long as you have. Look, it's not even quite 10am. If we're a little late to the party, who’s going to blame us? Just take a second to breathe. Let everything sink in and then let it go.”_

 

He couldn't argue with that. In fact, hearing his recent exploits put into words simply served to clarify why he should outwardly be a nervous wreck right now. Yoosung had wanted to make such a good first impression on Zifeara, but here he was: losing himself once again to the tears working their way out of his good eye, crumpling as she pulled him into her lap, burying his head in her shoulder as he sobbed. He did let it go. All at once. He hadn't been held like this since Rika’s funeral. It was bittersweet; while he felt miserable, having someone shield him from the rest of the world for a moment and stroke his hair, not telling him to be strong or brave but instead to let it out because he needed to was a massive source of comfort. If Zifeara could still want to be with him through all of this… maybe she would stick around after all.

Thankfully he felt better enough to get up and into the shower in a reasonable amount of time. It was only while he was washing his hair that it occurred to Yoosung that he hadn't taken the time to ask about the thing he had been the most curious of since yesterday; the tattoo on Zifeara's right arm. On her upper arm just below her shoulder was a tribal style dragon all in black. He had never felt one way or the other about them, he'd likely never get one himself, but Zifeara's tattoo looked like something you saw on ancient warriors. Strangely fitting that his Dragon had a dragon of her own.

He got dressed in the nicest clothes he had and tried to fix his hair to not much avail. It was going to be a shaggy mess regardless of his efforts. It didn't really matter; even at his best he'd look like a gremlin next to the voluptuous vixen that his girlfriend had chosen to be today. Speaking of… she was talking to someone. Yoosung opened the door and peeked his head out, finding Zifeara on her phone. At first it was difficult to tell who she was speaking to, but her tone was a pretty decent indication after a little while. She was facing the window as she spoke, so he could listen unnoticed.

 

_“No, I got it, Jaehee told me earlier. Well yeah I know where that is, I've only lived in this city my entire life. I beg your pardon? Look, you have no right to be cautious with me. If anything, Luciel and I are the only people around here who could be trusted with so much as a pet ROCK right now, so I would get down off your high horse if I were you, Stevie Wonder. You damn well heard me. One more thing; I'll play nice for the party, but the second we cross the threshold of that building at the end of the day, I don't want to see hide nor hair of you till things are fixed. We had a deal. Yeah. You better believe it. I can promise that if you think my bark is bad, my bite is worse. Much worse. Blood is thicker than water, Jihuyn, and I've already proven my blood type is stronger. Don't test me. I'll see you later.”_

 

Yoosung quickly ducked back into the bathroom to make it look as though he hadn't heard any of that. He had a feeling Zifeara wanted to keep him out of as much as possible with V and he wanted to be on her good side as well as he could today. That and let’s be realistic; his days of of amicable relations with V were long gone. They had been for quite a while now, truthfully. After one more solid attempt to do anything about his hair, Yoosung came all the way out to find Zifeara in his computer chair still on her phone, but it looked more like she was competing in a speed texting competition. She was writing something important based on her expression, but that brightened as soon as she looked up at him.

 

_“Wow, is that what you’re wearing?”_

 

“Uh, yeah… I don’t have nicer clothes. Besides, no one will be looking too closely at me with you there.”

 

She got up from the chair and tossed her phone into it, opting to take both of his hands in hers.

 

_“Aw, that’s sweet of you. I didn’t mean to say that as if you didn’t look nice. You look super cute, especially with your hair like that. You sure you’re feeling okay? It isn’t too late to just skip the party and crash at my place.”_

 

“No, I’m good now. Besides, the rest of the RFA really wants to meet you. They’d probably yell at me for keeping you all to myself, hehe. I can’t say I don’t want to, but…”

 

Zifeara giggled and leaned closer, almost touching their noses together. She really was having too much fun flustering him.

 

_“Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time together now. Besides, you’re staying with me while you recover, so I’m all yours for the next few weeks! Speaking of, pack up a backpack of stuff you have to have tonight; pajamas, a toothbrush, that sort of thing. We’ll grab you other stuff tomorrow, but I have a feeling you’ll want to crash after the party’s done.”_

 

He nodded and did as she had suggested, really only packing something to sleep in and some more comfortable clothes for tomorrow. He almost left without his hoodie, not really wanting to wear it at the party, but he figured it might be cold on the way home and quickly snagged it. Yoosung was starting to get nervous on the way to the party. There were so many things the RFA were going to freak out about. His eye. Where Seven was. What was going on with Mint Eye. Everything about Zifeara. He distracted himself with conversation.

 

“Hey, I meant to ask about your tattoo. It’s really cool. And kinda pretty in weird way?”

 

_“Haha, most people don’t go for pretty, but I think so too. I knew I always wanted a tattoo, so I had thought hard about what I wanted and the day I was legal, I got this done. Believe it or not, I’ve always been Dragon and they happen to be my favorite mythological creature, so it worked.”_

 

“Oh I believe it. It suits you.”

 

_“I’ll take that in the best way possible. So this party is just running around getting to know all the people I invited, right? Like we don’t have some sort of magical halftime show I’m not aware of or something? No stripper cake?”_

 

The blonde’s laugh was half awkward embarrassment from having Zifeara making a joke he’d expect from a guy and half genuine glee from picturing Jumin trying to slice himself a piece of cake only to have a woman come bursting out of it.

 

“Yes, they’re pretty easy. I can’t imagine you’d have a hard time falling into the rhythm of it once you get there; you did manage to convince these people to come, so you must be good with strangers. Besides, it is a party so it isn’t _all_ business. The last one was pretty fun and with some of the people you said you’d invite coming… Let’s just say we didn’t have anyone associated with videogames last time! This is going to be a really fun party, I’m sure of it. If you get nervous or bored you can stick right by me, I’ll make sure you have a good time!”

 

The two exchanged comfortable smiles as they continued to speculate about the party until they made it to the venue. They were only half an hour late and it was of course Yoosung who caught Jaehee’s eye as they made their way around the line of guests filing in. The assistant was greeting guests and checking them off a list she was holding but everything came to a halt when she went to greet the blonde.

 

_“Yoosung, there you are. What- what happened to your eye, are you alright?”_

 

“Hi, Jaehee, don’t worry about this, I’m totally fine. I’ll, uh, I’ll tell everyone everything after the party over the messenger, today I just want to get this over with. I want this to be a fun, productive party. Speaking of, Jaehee, this is Zifeara!”

 

He moved himself a little to shuffle Zifeara in front of him to meet Jaehee, making the older woman tear her eyes away from the bandages on his head.

 

_“Nice to finally meet you. I hope we get to spend more time together from now on. You said your friend owns a coffee shop?”_

 

Zifeara was all about this. She and Jaehee chatted excitedly about a coffee date before the guest next in line cleared their throat. Jaehee quickly regained herself and ushered them both inside, leaving finding the rest of the RFA up to chance. There were already a lot of people in here waiting for the event to officially start, so even spotting the others was difficult in this sea of bodies. They managed to catch Jumin first since he was in a group of very proper-looking businessmen appearing somewhat bored. Yoosung informed Zifeara that was his normal face. The blonde waved him over and Jumin excused himself to come meet the newest member of the RFA. He politely shook her hand and mentioned how much he looked forward to working together in the future and even getting to know her better; something that Yoosung never thought would come from the older man’s mouth, but did make sense since Zifeara got along with everyone in the chatroom. She professed her excitement over meeting Elizabeth and Lisa, who they promised to get as soon as Yoosung was feeling better. At least Jumin only gave his mummy wrappings a glance before letting that question wait.

Thanks to the modeling agency Zifeara invited, Zen was actually proving difficult to locate. There were an obnoxious number of tall, attractive men milling about, talking to as many companies as possible to try to secure positions as the face of whatever was needed. It was exactly what most people were here for, but it really wasn't helping make their usually singular friend stand out. Or help them keep track of each other. Someone said something to him one second, the next Yoosung turned around to find Zifeara missing. He could only panic for a minute before he found her, probably only 40 feet away in the massive room, but his relief was short lived. She found Zen. And Zen very obviously found her as impossibly attractive as he should have. Yoosung had read somewhere that when you look at someone you find physically appealing, your pupils tend to dilate, allowing more light into your eyes so you can see them better. Clearly it was true since Zen looked like a frickin _owl_. He had really hoped he would at least get to make a show of presenting Zifeara to Zen so that he didn’t have to kick the actor’s ass, but luck was not in his favor.

 

 

There he was. Zifeara would recognize those long silver locks anywhere, even just from pictures. Zen disappeared behind someone else and Yoosung had been stopped by someone who looked to be with the Indie Gamers, so she quickly went to catch up to the actor. This was what she had been waiting for; the look of shock on Zen’s face had been promising to be the best part of finally meeting the RFA. She ducked around a few people before making it to Zen, catching his eye just before she reached him. Bingo. His eyes widened and he sidled around the last person between them, very interested in the girl he had never seen before smiling at him. He must have thought she was a fan or something.

What Zifeara wasn’t expecting was the immediate charm he poured over her. This man truly had no shame. Zen crossed the distance in no time, taking her hand and introducing himself.

 

_“Hi, I’m Zen; musical actor, dancer, devilishly handsome talent. Looking for me long?”_

 

Oh for… She almost straight up laughed at him.

 

“Yes, I know who you are.”

 

_“Ah, I knew you were a fan! And you are, Princess?”_

 

She almost couldn’t help it when he brought her hand up to kiss it, but she didn’t get a chance to ruin his fun. A very unhappy sounding voice behind her beat her to it.

 

_“Zifeara.”_

 

Oh, Zen was so busted. Yoosung came up behind her and placed a hand on her lower back, glaring daggers at the older man with what probably wasn’t supposed to be the cutest pout Zifeara had ever seen. She would so have to work on his game face. Zen was too surprised to even let go of her hand, at first.

 

_“Wha-? You’re… OH. It’s uh, good to finally see you! Haha, no wonder you looked like you knew me. Not gonna lie, you’re definitely much-”_

 

 _“_ **_Zen._ ** _”_

 

Zifeara gently squeezed the actor’s hand to point out the source of Yoosung’s irritation, causing him to blush slightly as he released her. He gave a sheepish but mostly unapologetic smile before asking if Yoosung was okay and if either of them knew where V was since he also was late. They should have started almost an hour ago. After assuring Zen he’d tell the whole RFA about everything later, Yoosung seemed to notice something off to the side behind him and excused himself, turning hesitantly to the other before he actually left.

 

_“Watch her a second. I swear if you try anything while I’m gone… I’m watching you, pretty boy.”_

 

Zifeara laughed before carrying on a now very normal conversation. She knew Zen would behave himself once he figured out who she was; he didn’t seem like the type of guy to flirt with a taken woman. Just about the time they were making plans for a fun dinner at one of Zen’s favorite Italian places, the house lights dimmed. V must have gotten here and finally started the event. All eyes went to the small stage that had been fashioned for the photography auction as the microphone sounded a few test thumps.

 

_“Welcome everyone to RFA’s party.”_

 

Yep. That was V. He stepped out into the middle of the stage, waiting for everyone to quiet down so he could begin. It clicked for Zifeara that Yoosung must have seen V. But where did her blonde go? She had warned the RFA’s soon to be ex-leader that there would be Hell to pay if he did anything… Jumin and Jaehee made their way over to join the pair, the assistant whispering a query of where a certain redhead could be. Seven hadn’t told them he wouldn’t be attending.

 

_“I thank you all for gladly attending the party in such short notice and I apologize for the delayed start. I am V, the head of RFA. Although I am the leader, it was the members of RFA who worked hard to make this party happen. Please give a round of applause for all the members who made this possible. Oh, they are all over there in the back.”_

 

V pointed to where they were all standing while the audience gave them a short round of applause. Zifeara whispered back that Seven wasn’t coming since he had something important to do related to the follow up on Mint Eye, which seemed to satisfy everyone. Then she asked where Yoosung had gone.

 

_“As you might know… RFA was founded by me and my fiance Rika. My love Rika unfortunately left this world two years ago, but it still holds that this organization was founded with our love. Although she may no longer be with us, the love she left still drives RFA. So I wanted to take this opportunity to show the love. For all the precious members of RFA.”_

 

Jumin was the first to speak amongst them this time.

 

_“What… is he trying to do?”_

 

None of them had a clue, and were more than surprised when V continued.

 

_“I introduce to you, the youngest member of RFA. Yoosung Kim.”_

 

The audience clapped again, and more than one mouth dropped open amidst the RFA members. Zen gained composure back the fastest. Sort of.

 

_“Yoo...sung?”_

 

“Now what is he up to? V must have waved him over earlier, that must be what happened when he left.”

 

Yoosung took the microphone from V, clearing his throat before talking. He didn’t even seem nervous to be put on the spot like that.

 

_“Thank you everyone here for coming. All members of the RFA tried hard for the party… but especially our newest member Zifeara, that cute lady over there, worked so hard for this. I’m sure you all came here with your own agenda, but please let me take some of your time. I want to talk about our members. Just bear with me. The founder of RFA, Rika, said she wanted to be a magician. A magician that makes people happy. She said that knowing how to make people happy was the strongest power in this world. And many people… received the benefits of her magic. But to be honest, I think I was the one who benefitted the most. She gave me a purpose in life and led me. She made me smile. I can talk for days about how much she influenced me. I had absolute trust in her magic. I admired it. She was V’s fiance but to me she was a great magician. But… later I realized. That she wasn’t doing any sort of magic. She just… loved me. After she left, I was yearning for love. I was lost and it was difficult. And when love came to me again… I tried to consider it the same as the one I had before.”_

 

Jumin shifted around and crossed his arms, clearly not finding such an emotional divergence in the blonde’s speech relevant.

 

_“Is he trying to confess his love?”_

 

Zen simply chuckled and nudged Zifeara with his elbow.

 

_“I think that’s exactly what he’s doing. I guess I kinda made him mad earlier, huh? I will say, I’ve never seen him so calm about speaking in front of people. He really would do anything for you, Jagi.”_

 

Since they had talked on the phone so often, Zifeara told Zen she didn’t mind him calling her that since she and Yoosung would likely have different pet names for each other eventually, but she didn’t miss the way Jaehee stiffened slightly. She didn’t know it didn’t mean anything. She was quiet as Yoosung continued, however.

 

_“But I was able to realize through the members of RFA… about how special… the person giving worthless me affection and care is. That I should never compare this love to anything else. And I realize how wonderful that is. I later had to acknowledge that Zifeara’s kindness and care… completely took my heart. We knew each other before she even joined the RFA but we never met in person. Even then she was so kind and always listened to me no matter what the topic. I liked her then and I liked her even more once she became a member and we got to really know each other.”_

 

_“You did?”_

 

Jaehee was giving her a look and Zen was curious too. Zifeara was grinning like a maniac. And was starting to blush a bit.

 

“Haha, Yoosung is my favorite gaming buddy. We kick ass at LOLOL together.”

 

Zen groaned and put a hand to his face.

 

_“Oh no, not another one.”_

 

_“I liked her so much that I wasn’t afraid to get hurt if it was for her. So… don’t look so worried about my eye, any of you. I was so glad to be able to sacrifice myself for you, Zifeara. I would have given more if I had to. I will cherish you more. I’ll always become better for you. So you never regret being with me… I’ll give you my heart. It’s so difficult to stand here and watch. I must go to the person I longed for now. RFA was founded on everyone’s love here… on the importance of sharing values. Whether it’s making a donation, purchasing a photograph, or simply talking to someone else. So please, to everyone here, share your love and your magic. Then… Zifeara, just stay right there.  ”_

 

Yoosung moved off the stage, handing the microphone back to V on his way down, making a beeline for the rest of the RFA. Zen was staring at the blonde, clearly impressed by his speech.

 

_“Wow... so romantic.”_

 

Once Yoosung got close enough, he merely stopped a foot away to admire his girlfriend, making the color barely noticeable on her cheeks become more pronounced. It was kind of weird for him to be looking her over in front of everyone else like this. As far as they knew, he’d never seen her before getting here just an hour ago. They all had no idea…

 

_“Zifeara… I’m so glad that you’re safe. I was trying to think of a good way to officially ask you to be my girlfriend and this was the best thing I could think of; telling everyone here what you’ve done for me. Making of point of what I’d do for you. Wh-which is anything.”_

 

Aw, now he was getting nervous. He acted like she would say no. She was pretty sure they were well beyond that, but he was starting to fidget. Yoosung stepped forward and took both of her hands, heat radiating from every inch of him as his flush was starting to rival her own.

 

_“So… w-would you do me the honor of being my g-girlfriend? For real this time?”_

 

He was too cute. Jumin was probably one of the few people in the entire room not staring with either wide-eyed surprise or gentle amusement on their face, Zen and Jaehee being of the former. They had never seen him act this way.

 

“I’d be crazy to turn away such a brave young paladin. I will warn you though, I’ve been told I’m more of a dragon than a princess.”

 

Zifeara gave a wink and smirk to that last bit, clearly teasing him on Zen calling her Princess earlier, making the blonde grin to his ears.

 

_“I think I was wrong, I didn’t want a princess after all. I might need a little dragon instead. Was that a yes?”_

 

She just shook her head and rolled her eyes at how his confidence could turn on a dime.

 

“Shut up.”

 

They both had the same idea. Zen couldn’t even protest how close they had gotten before Yoosung put a hand behind Zifeara’s head and kissed her, shuddering as her own hands ran over his shoulders. Now Jumin’s eyes were wide. The pair almost hadn’t noticed how most of the party’s guests had begun clapping again, enjoying the drama unfolding before them. V had been clapping too, but now with the excitement over with, he began talking about the photo auction that would be taking place in an hour, urging guests to socialize and get to know each other in the meantime. With that the other RFA members discussed when there would be a meeting between all of them, mostly so that Yoosung could fill everyone in on what in the world was going on and they could check in with Seven. Once that was all settled, they almost moved apart to go meet their guests when Zifeara stopped them.

 

“Oh, shoot, I almost forgot. Hey guys?”

 

They turned back in time to see her wrap an arm around Yoosung’s waist while he gave her a confused look.

 

“Zen, I swear it’s nothing personal, I just always keep my word and I promised Yoosung I’d do something for him.”

 

_“Um, okay, what-”_

 

Zen stopped short when she held her other hand up, flipping him off and making him choke on his words. Jaehee gasped and for probably the first time anyone could remember, Jumin _laughed_. He didn’t even say anything either, he simply walked away waving them all off. Laughing. Today was a good day.

It only got better from talking to their guests, many of which were very excited to meet the person they had been exchanging emails with. New people were still showing up, so there was never an end to people to be introduced to. The best part was probably being asked what in the world Yoosung had done for her that he had injured his eye. Zifeara never told anyone the same story, each just as impressive as the last, only one of which involving a bear. The blonde tended to simply say he was in a rather unfortunate altercation over someone with ill intentions toward her and leave it at that, but she wasn’t having it. When would he get the chance to say he fought a bear again?

It wasn’t long before they split up, however, Yoosung getting absorbed in talking to other LOLOL players and Zifeara enjoying a conversation with the cat shelter representative over the new feline they were about to take in amongst countless other guests. At some point as she was making her way to the refreshments table for a drink, she spotted her boyfriend again, talking to… literally the spitting image of what he had told her his type was before he knew what she looked like. She must have come in after his big speech because she was very clearly eyeing him up, laughing at every other thing he said. Oh _this_ would be fun.

Zifeara moved around so that he wouldn’t see her as she listened to their conversation, seemingly having one of her own with a large gathering of people. The girl’s voice was high and melodic in probably the most annoying way possible; the kind of sound that was innocent and simple. Even the way she was standing was showing herself off; leaning just forward enough to more clearly display as much of her chest as possible while putting herself just that tiny bit closer to him. Zifeara recognized that lean. Hell, she had _done_ that lean before. It was painfully obvious after just one snippet of the exchange that Yoosung had no idea what was even happening, not a clue how very hard this girl was trying to make it clear to him that she was super _availible_. Zifeara was starting to believe Yoosung had never dated anyone more and more. She waited for just the right moment to interrupt.

 

_“Actually, this isn’t the first RFA party I’ve been to; I came with my parents to the last one. That was what, two years ago?”_

 

_“Yeah, it was. What organization are your parents in?”_

 

_“Oh, they work in catering, actually, they just bring me along. I swear I saw you last time, though. Did you color your hair?”_

 

_“Uh, yeah, actually, I did. You have a good memory! I’m sorry, though, I can’t say I remember you…”_

 

_“Well, it’s super cute, heehee! Unfortunately I didn’t get to talk to you, you were really busy and I lost track of you after a while. But now that I’ve found you, there was something I meant to ask; I hear you play a mean game of LOLOL. What server are you on? Maybe we could play together sometime.”_

 

Ah, she found his one weakness. Yoosung could never say no to anyone wanting to play LOLOL with him. Based on how she described her character, she wasn’t just making things up for his sake, she just wasn’t very good. It didn’t take long before she got far enough for Zifeara’s taste.

 

_“Oh that’s so cool! Can’t believe you’re so good! Maybe if I gave you my number I could text you all my questions this weekend?”_

 

“Or maybe you can take your weak-ass spellsword and go shove it into a more desperate group of nerds. The paladin’s mine. Rest of the LOLOL guys are over there.”

 

Yoosung was in stunned silence for a moment as Zifeara put an arm around his neck and gestured to the other LOLOL members across the room. The other girl put her hands on her hips and settled into some serious bitch face.

 

 _“And who do you think_ **_you_ ** _are?”_

 

“The other half of Shooting Star’s Dynamic Duo. Level 67 combat mage at number 5 on the entire server. Yoosung’s **girlfriend**. Bye.”

 

Bitch face dissolved into hurt as she glared and walked away, leaving the poor blonde to squirm and stammer.

 

_“Uhm, what was that?”_

 

“You poor sweet lamb. If that girl could have been any more blatantly hitting on you, she’d have slapped you in the face. Like I would have done if you weren’t so pitifully clueless.”

 

_“Wait, she? How long were you… Uhhh, am I in trouble? Because I feel like I’m in trouble.”_

 

Zifeara rustled his hair and pulled him with her towards the drink table she’d been trying to get to.

 

“Hahaha, no pumpkin, you aren’t. I can’t be mad at you for being oblivious to other girls. I can, however, tease you for it. Which you can bet your cute little ass I will. For quite a while. Besides, I will always be the badder bitch, so I’m not worried about asserting my dominance. I’ve always been good at that.”

 

While Yoosung’s face cooled down from literally everything she had just said to him out loud and in public, she got a text from Seven asking about how the party was going. It was pretty great in all aspects except one.

 

**From Zifeara:**

**My only complaint is the music choice. Classical only seems to suit about 30% of the people I managed to invite. The rest of us look bored, lol**

 

**To Zifeara:**

**Ah, but u forget, I am God 707! I’ll see what I can do for u, my sweet scary kitten. lol hold tight. I can see u on cam.**

 

She looked around till she spotted the camera he must be looking at her through and waved. Yoosung gave her a look and followed her gaze to the camera.

 

“Seven. He can see us and said he might be able to get us some better tunes in here, so we’ll see what he does. Do you dance, Yoosung?”

 

_“W-well, not very well. Rika tried to teach me how to Waltz a long time ago and I wasn’t great at it.”_

 

“No, I meant to normal music. Modern day. Ever been out to a club? You’re old enough.”

 

_“Mmm, never had anyone to go with. I-”_

 

Her phone went off again.

 

**To Zifeara:**

**Ur prayers have been answered! Grab ur boi lol I wanna see this.**

 

Huh. Well, Seven was doing _something_. She couldn’t bring herself to be too worried, though; with as… solid as she and Seven had become very recently, she trusted he was actually doing something nice for her. As soon as the song that was currently on finished, she recognized the start of the much more modern one that [started playing](https://youtu.be/_dK2tDK9grQ). She bloody loved this song. She watched Yoosung’s eye widen and grabbed his hand, pulling him to where some of the younger guests had already cleared space to dance; much to the disapproval of older guests.

 

_“Zi-Zifeara, I don’t-”_

 

“Well now you do! Hey, don’t look at anybody else, just keep your eyes on me. If you just let it happen, you can’t be embarrassed. I really want to dance with my boyfriend, is he going to tell me no? Because I can go find Zen.”

 

As he started moving to the song, Yoosung narrowed his eye.

 

_“You wouldn’t. Not even to make me jealous.”_

 

“Haha, clearly you don’t want to find out.”

 

 

Yoosung let that go as he noticed the other RFA members talking amongst themselves trying to figure out what had happened to the music. It was right about the same time Zifeara pulled him closer and made it very clear that he was _her_ boyfriend. The looks on their faces were priceless, especially Zen. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. She was right; the more he didn’t pay attention to anything else and just moved with her, the more comfortable he was doing this in front of people. It wasn’t as though the way he and Zifeara were dancing was completely inappropriate, but much like the song, it was suggestive. A little. Just a bit. Just enough that he wasn’t having trouble focusing solely on her. He’d have to thank Seven later.

With as much fun as dancing, socializing and having a rather successful party was, all good things had to come to an end and at around 6pm, everyone went home. The RFA was talking about grabbing dinner together, but Yoosung sat down in a chair. The lack sleep and dosage of painkillers he was on was starting to take its toll. It was around when Zen said something about Chinese food that he tuned out, not really remembering what was said after that. He vaguely heard Zifeara talking to him, but it wasn’t so much so that it roused him.

Before he really knew what was going on, he opened his eye to somewhere that was very much not where he had last been. He was in a greyish-purple room with bedroom furniture in it, shelves of knick knacks lining the walls and sunlight filtering in through a crack in the deep red curtains. And he was in a bed. With his shirt nowhere to be found. Yoosung sat up fast enough that his head hurt, quickly looking around and trying to figure out what exactly had happened to him. Throwing the blankets off himself, he discovered he wasn’t just missing his shirt; he was wearing the flannel pajama pants he had packed to stay at Zifeara’s overnight. Was… was he at Zifeara’s house?!

Getting up, a closer look at a picture on a shelf proved this was the case. The photo was of his girlfriend standing next to an older lady, a large deep purple Victorian house behind them. Just underneath the shelf on a dresser was what looked to be a fish tank, but instead of fish it had a mesh lid and soil, a bright light resting on the top. A fake skull and jungle ruin lay inside it and he looked around for the pet that surely resided here. Zifeara hadn’t mentioned owning an animal… It was just as he was about to give up without finding the tank’s inhabitant when something moved on the lid about two inches from where he currently had his face. A long spindly leg poked through the mesh and almost touched his nose. The leg was covered in hair and as his eye focused he realized it was one of eight just like it. There was a _very_ large tarantula right next to his head.

‘Shrieked’ was probably the only word for the noise Yoosung made as he stumbled backwards away from the thing, landing himself on the floor. A set of footsteps was rapidly approaching the room. He was too freaked out to move. The slightly ajar door swung inward quickly, a familiar voice full of concern following.

 

_“Yoosung, are you okay? What happened?”_

 

Following his eyes, Zifeara knew what the problem was.

 

_“Oh. Hahahahaha, I see you met Oxide. Don’t worry, he’s totally harmless, he just likes to hide then sneak up on people.”_

 

She helped him up off the ground and get steady, headache now making itself known. His eye really hurt and he was probably overdue to take his next round of meds and deal with his wrappings. Noticing his discomfort, Zifeara pointed to a corner of the room.

 

_“Your backpack is over there. I assume there’s a few things you’re supposed to be taking for your eye. Bathroom is that door just over there.”_

 

“Hey Zifeara? I, uhm, I don’t really know how to ask this, but… what happened last night? I don’t actually…remember getting here. I don’t even remember leaving the party.”

 

_“I’m not surprised. You looked pretty beat about halfway through the party. When we started talking about dinner, you fell asleep in a chair. I managed to get you to shuffle out to the car, but you sleep like a rock. You would not wake up to get yourself in the house. You’re lucky you aren’t much heavier than me or I wouldn’t have been able to pick you up.”_

 

“Wait, you _carried_ me in here?”

 

_“Mhm. I may not look like it, but I work out a little. I wasn’t kidding when I said I could probably bench press you. You were a right pain to get to change out of your party clothes too.”_

 

He was really hoping what he had been afraid happened did _not_ happen. Please don’t let Zifeara have seen as much of him as it sounded like she did. That was _not_ fair. She must have noticed the look on his thoroughly  red face because she smiled wryly.

 

 _“Don’t worry, I only had to get your shirt off before you changed yourself. You did, however,_ **_refuse_ ** _to put a different shirt on. Believe me, I did try. You weren’t having it. You are probably starving since you skipped dinner. Once you get done in the bathroom, come downstairs, lunch should be ready by then.”_

 

She carried him up _stairs_ !? God, how much more embarrassing could he have possibly been? Zifeara left the room, presumably to go back downstairs and finish whatever she was making for lunch, leaving Yoosung to dig through his backpack to find the things he needed to deal with his eye. Once he got the old wrappings off, he gave in to a temptation he had been fighting since the first time he had to change these. He opened his left eye to see what it looked like. He only had it open for long enough to use the rinse he was supposed to in order to get the… gunk out of it, but he had never _really_ seen the damage. He didn’t think he wanted to, but you know what they say about curiosity. He was glad he hadn’t eaten yet. He could have lived without that. All of _that_ was supposed to heal and be fine. Never again.

Yoosung put the shirt he had intended to sleep in on since Zifeara had still been in pajamas when she came up and made his way out of the room. The first thing he noticed upon stepping out into the hall was that this house had to be huge. There were 3 other doors up here, each a good distance away from each other, implying the rooms themselves were rather large. The second thing that occurred to him was that the bedroom he was just in had an attached bathroom. Something usually only the master bedroom had. Meaning… he had been sleeping in Zifeara’s room. In _Zifeara’s bed_ . Either he had inconvenienced her by taking her bed or… _oh_ **_god_ ** . It was too early for this. He could not let himself think about the possibility that he had just spent the night in his brand new girlfriend’s bed with her. _He hadn’t even been wearing a shirt_. This was causing… problems. He was not thinking about this anymore. He had to go eat. In front of her.

Back on track, Yoosung went down the staircase, noting the whole house seemed to be painted in muted tones of purple. This place was like the most surreal dollhouse he had ever seen. Once he hit the bottom of the stairs, he realized he heard what sounded like running water. He swore if this house had an indoor fountain or something… Going towards the noise, he stepped into what must be the living room, only to be greeted by what was probably the largest fish tank he had ever seen in just a house. The thing was sitting right on the floor and stretched it’s way up almost the entire wall it took up.

 

_“About four hundred and fifty five gallons.”_

 

Zifeara’s voice behind him made Yoosung jump, but she was smiling. She was really good at sneaking up on him.

 

_“I really like goldfish and they get pretty big. I’ll introduce you later, come on. Food’s done.”_

 

She led the way back past the stairs into a nice modern kitchen with lots of windows, a table big enough for four in a dining area already set for eating. She reached into a cupboard and handed him a bowl, nodding towards the pot on the stove. Looking in, he saw it was full of what had to be macaroni and cheese.

 

“Did… did you make this?”

 

_“Yep. It’s one of the few things I cook well. Learned from my Aunt. There’s a ton, so have as much as you want. Don’t worry about the table, I usually eat on the couch, haha.”_

 

This smelled amazing. He filled his entire bowl and followed Zifeara back to her couch, shoveling the delicious pasta into his face like he’d never seen food before while she found something they both wanted to watch on the sizable tv. This thing probably cost as much as his entire computer. He was dying to ask so many questions; about her house, her car, her _life_. He settled on probably the lamest one to start with.

 

“Zifeara… why, um, why didn’t you tell me about any of this? Your- your house and stuff, I mean. I had no idea you were so…”

 

_“Obscenely rich? I tend not to mention it in passing conversation. Would it have mattered?”_

 

She wasn’t looking at him any differently, but he felt it. Zifeara had a sort of sadness in her voice; a tone that suggested it mattered to more people than it should have.

 

“Of course not. It was just a little… hehe, a little weird to just find out by being here, that’s all. I guess we never really did have a conversation where it came up. Do you have this whole house to yourself?”

 

_“Yeah, I um… well…”_

 

She looked upset. He had touched on something he shouldn’t have.

 

“Zifeara, if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to, I was just asking questions. Don’t worry about it…”

 

She smiled a much more morose smile this time.

 

_“You have to know eventually. This house belonged to my Aunt. I inherited it. I lived here for most of my life and she never had children of her own. I was very close to her, but she was sick. I lost her four years ago.”_

 

“I’m sorry to hear that. I would have loved to meet her.”

 

_“Hahaha, you think I’m bad with how much I tease you? Aunt Hemlock would have killed you! She… she would have liked you, though. She probably would have told you that you were a ‘perfect little cupcake’ or something. She was always weird like that.”_

 

The warmth returned to Zifeara’s smile and she leaned her head on his shoulder. After a moment of appreciative silence, Yoosung asked something else to lighten the mood a bit. Something he was no less curious about.

 

“So um… You live in this house by yourself. The room I woke up in seems to be very… you.”

 

_“Yyyyyes?”_

 

She clearly didn’t know where he was going with this.

 

“Are you going to tell me that after massively crashing at the party and having you carry me up a set of stairs… that you put me in _your_ bed? Because if I just slept in your bed… _with_ you for the first time, all while being only half dressed and I don’t remember a _second_ of it, I might scream.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love cliff hangers. Really I do. Think of it a a guarantee that there will be follow up chapters because how could I end the whole thing on that? I wouldn't be THAT mean to you guys!
> 
> By the way, I do actually have a tattoo like Zifeara does, but mine isn't a regular dragon. Mine is a Dragonite XD
> 
> Still more art by Thwippersnapple! Is there anything she can't do???


	17. Settling In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically a bridge from the last part to the next important bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I slogged through writing this chapter since I felt like there had to be some indication that Yoosung is included in what's going on with Saeran but didn't quite know what to do with my life as per usual and bleh. Looking forward to writing the next one though!

_“D-do we have to?”_

 

She really hadn't thought this would be hard. She had everything set up perfectly; lights all off save for the fish tank which she had changed to an atmospheric red, couch covered in blankets, AC up giving the house a little chill. All this preparation and for what? Puppy dog eye, that's what. Yoosung looked as if he were 10 and she was about to put All Children Die the Movie on. Granted, she was going to try, but still. The Grudge was really not that scary to an adult. Most adults.

 

“Are you about to tell me you don't do horror?”

 

_“W-well, I, um… I don't do… great with horror. I'm… more of a romantic comedy kind of guy?”_

 

“Oh. That's… unfortunate. I'm more of an ‘everyone dies, yay monsters, sex and you're dead for sure’ kinda girl. Aw man, I never get to use the spooky fish light.”

 

_“I… I’ll still watch it. I c-can handle it.”_

 

Zifeara could tell Yoosung was trying to look brave, but it wasn’t really working; all he looked now was very nervous. Being that it was fairly late at night, if she were going to try to ease him into horror, it would have to wait till tomorrow so there could at least be sunlight.

 

“I’ll tell you what, we’ll start slow on the scary and we’ll do it tomorrow. In broad daylight. That way it won’t be so bad, yeah? I’ll work you up to good horror. How do you feel about Dalt Wisney movies?”

 

He brightened and nodded, relief at dodging the ghost bullet clearly making him relax. She handed him the remote.

 

“You put on which one you _think_ is my favorite and if you’re right we’ll watch a rom-com before bed tomorrow. I’m leaving the fish light though.”

 

_“Hehe, deal. Um, let me think…”_

 

He scrolled through the list of movies, trying to determine which was her favorite.

 

_“Was it in this list?”_

 

“Yep. It was definitely in there. Final answer?”

 

Yoosung looked at her, carefully scanning her face for some magical sign that the movie he was thinking was the correct choice. He returned his attention to the screen, scrolling a few over from the film he was on and clicking play. He was _so_ close. While she really did love Mulan, it wasn’t her favorite. She smiled and reclined against the back of the couch, not missing the way the blonde’s eye darted to her to see if he was right.

 

“Hahaha, an admirable choice, but no romantic guff for me, love. I like it, but this isn’t my favorite.”

 

Yoosung pouted and leaned back as well, mumbling about how he knew he shouldn’t have gone with the obvious choice. Zifeara just laughed and leaned sideways, resting her head on his shoulder.

 

“If you guess again and get it, we can watch one of the very few rom-coms I _like_ tomorrow. What was your other idea?”

 

He was blushing slightly from the closeness of their faces, but he managed to not be too flustered.

 

_“Uh… The Lion King.”_

 

She giggled again and shook her head, simultaneously nuzzling his shoulder. Now his face was getting redder. That was reasonable considering today was the first day he had really spent with her, but he had woken up pretty close to noon. She had to admit, this was _way_ more fun in person.

 

“Sorry, I win. My favorite Wisney movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas, followed very closely by Lilo and Stitch. I’m going to guess yours is either… Hercules or Aladdin!”

 

He made a noise of minor annoyance, but it sounded like the verbal equivalent of pouting. It’s no wonder the RFA still considered him a child; he did an awful lot of very cute sulking for an adult.

 

 _“Mmm. Am I really_ **_that_ ** _predictable? It… it’s Aladdin…”_

 

“Haha, no, it’s just that I can see how both of those are relatable to you; both are about a nobody becoming someone a lot of people look up to one way or another, getting the girl and living happily ever after. Since you don’t think very highly of yourself, I can see how they appeal to you.”

 

_“That’s… that’s pretty accurate, actually. It does make me wonder how I was supposed to guess your favorite, though… Mulan is relatable to you.”_

 

“Well, The Nightmare Before Christmas is my favorite because Halloween is my favorite holiday and I used to find Christmas kind of annoying, so getting my favorite twice a year is awesome. Lilo and Stitch I love because there is no princess and… Lilo is a lot like me when I was a kid. Although depending on who you ask, I was more like Stitch and Fang was Lilo, hahaha!”

 

_“...So you’ve known him that long?”_

 

Right. Yoosung got jealous very easily. She would have to try to fix that; at least where her best friend was concerned.

 

“Sure, most of my life. C’mere, I want to show you something.”

 

Zifeara paused the movie and got up, leading her blonde to the front door and through it, onto the porch. She leaned over the railing and pointed down the street to her left, past an old-style church and to a set of matching white townhouses.

 

“You see those white buildings over there? All the way past the church?”

 

Yoosung leaned with her, lining himself up with her arm to follow the end of her finger to exactly the unit she was pointing to.

 

_“Yes?”_

 

“That one _right_ there is Fang’s house. He was born in that house and I’ve lived in this one since I was three. He’s a year older than me. His mom and my aunt were best friends, so naturally we became very close too. And we still are. Fang is my brother and in the _twenty_ years I’ve known him, I’ve never once found the man datable. Even though he is, in my personal opinion, drop dead gorgeous. I can’t do it. It would be like you _dating_ Rika. Do you understand? I love Fang, truthfully I do, but never in the same way I love you.”

 

He looked guiltily from the houses to her, flush from earlier not having fully receded.

 

_“Zifeara… I- I’m sorry. I have no reason not to trust you when you say that’s all it is… I just… I just don’t feel good enough for you. I probably… never will.”_

 

Zifeara smiled gently, backing up and jumping up onto the railing of the porch, sitting far enough with her legs apart to pull Yoosung closer so they were nearly nose to nose. She held his hands and softly ran her thumbs over the back of them. He still looked like a dog being scolded. He was making his comparison to a puppy harder and harder to deny.

 

“You listen to me, Yoosung Kim. Listen to me and _look_ at me. Do I not look like I could have any man I wanted? Hmm?”

 

He looked ashamed and close to crying.

 

_“Y-you do…”_

 

“Well I want _you_ . You with all of _your_ imperfections, _your_ insecurities, _your_ inexperience. Your really cute smile. Your beautiful eyes. Your sweet temperament, kind heart, every single inch of the blushing mess that is _you_ , Yoosung. I don’t do anything I don’t want to for the most part, so I would never have led you on or agreed to date you if I hadn’t wanted to. You are _my_ boyfriend and I am _your_ girlfriend. Yours. No one else's.”

 

Less ashamed, more… baffled; tears welling at the corner of his eye, face still flushed, mouth trying to form words.

 

_“I… I… Zi-Zifeara…”_

 

“Sometimes you should just shut up and be happy.”

 

The blonde gave a small laugh that was almost more of a sigh than anything before removing his hands to set them on her waist, preventing her from falling backwards off the rail when he kissed her. Zifeara held his face, wiping the few tears that spilled over when Yoosung closed his eye away with her thumb. He pulled back, leaving their foreheads and noses together.

 

“You know what will make it feel a little more real? Ground rules. Tell me something that as your girlfriend, you are not okay with me doing.”

 

Yoosung looked down, clearly not prepared for this. She wanted him to start though, that way he would feel just as valuable in this relationship as she was. And so she didn’t accidentally upset him at some point soon.

 

_“I… I don’t want you to go out without telling me where you’re going. That way if something happens, I know where you are. Y-you don’t have to tell me with who or anything, I just… want to know. Is… is that weird?”_

 

Running her hands down from his face to his chest, she shook her head.

 

“No, that’s reasonable. As long as you don’t get upity with me for going where I want, when I want, I think that’s fine. I want to know who all your friends are. I don’t care what gender they are or why you’re friends, I’d like to meet them if you ever physically see them.”

 

_“Okay, we could do that, it just may take a bit, hehe. Some of my classmates have really different schedules… Um… If something is bothering you, I want to know about it right away. Not just something about me, anything. I think it’s important to be able to share your problems.”_

 

“Fair, that can go for both of us! Speaking of problems, there are a lot of things I’m willing to forgive and work through; cheating is _not_ one of them. You cheat on me and we’re d-o-n-e _done_.”

 

He gave her a look as though she had just told him she had literally made everything up and that she never even loved him.

 

 _“W-why would I ever?! I don’t understand how people can do that at all, much the less how_ **_I_ ** _could even_ **_think_ ** _of doing that to_ **_you_ ** _! That is not something you’ll ever need to worry about, I promise you.”_

 

“Haha, I believe you, but since we’re putting things on the table, that’s a big one for me.”

 

Yoosung nodded enthusiastically, making her smile. They were at eye level, but just the way he was looking at her so expectantly and lovingly was the final straw. He was her glorious golden puppy and nothing could convince her otherwise. She could too clearly picture his floppy golden retriever ears and wagging tail to stop now.

 

“Try to think of some more for me for tomorrow; right now let’s not have any more sadness, no more being upset, let’s go watch a girl kick ass in a kid’s movie and get ready for bed, puppy.”

 

 _Shit_ . That was meant to be _far_ more to herself than out loud. His eye widened and the color in his cheeks that had finally abated rushed right back in.

 

_“P-puppy!? I a-am not! T-that’s- that’s really embarrassing!”_

 

“Aw, but Yoosung, you’re just so cute and it fits your personality so well… Besides, I did tell you I did the RFA as dogs and you’re adorable as a puppy! _And_ you said yourself before how you wished you could turn into a dog for me! C’mon, it’s _really_ cute and I like it~”

 

She was way too invested in this now. He was so invested in _her_ that she earnestly wanted to see if she could get away with such a thing. Zifeara blinked her eyes a little extra and tilted her head down so she could look up through her lashes. She wanted to win this one so badly.

 

 _“I- y-you…  Hmph. You can only c-call me that when we are_ **_alone_ ** _. Never in front of anyone else…”_

 

She giggled and pulled him close again, giddy with how much fun this was going to be.

 

“Hahahaha, alright, Yoosung. Only between us. C’mon, let’s go in.”

 

***

 

This was insanity. There was legitimately no way he could do this. Zifeara had helped him get back up the stairs since he kept not being 100% sure where he was placing his feet, she had warned him his depth perception was off now, but once they had brushed their teeth and he had shooed her away to change his wraps she turned the lights off,  climbed into her bed, and threw the blankets off the other side. She was clearly expecting him to lay down _with_ her. Yesterday had been one thing, but now he was a million percent conscious and in control of his own actions. But also not in control of… well. He was a guy. A guy who had only ever slept with his mother or sister when he had nightmares as an actual _child_ . Last night didn’t count. So there he stood, inches away from the bed while his girlfriend of technically _two days_ looked at him as though he were sweating bullets like he was in some kind of anime.

 

“Zifeara… are you sure it’s okay for me to… to sleep with you? I feel kinda weird about it…”

 

_“Well, if you really don’t want to, the guest bedroom is down the hall, but…”_

 

He swallowed hard. She looked so sad that he didn’t want to be put in the awkward situation of having their bodies so close together in a _bed_ ; generally the first thing people share as an _intimate_ couple. The more he thought about it, the worst it got.

 

 _“I just feel bad leaving you by yourself in a weird house. If you get up in the middle of the night, you’re going to run into stuff… And I may be just a_ **_touch_ ** _paranoid of either of us being alone after Mint Eye… even in my own house.”_

 

That wasn't fair. She was giving legitimate and very hard to ignore reasons for this. More importantly she was scared of being alone. He was her paladin and damnit, he had to protect her from _anything_ that scared her. Even if it meant getting zero sleep because he was worried about the numerous humiliating situations this could cause. Yoosung gave up.

He got onto the bed and awkwardly settled in, making sure the covers were evenly shared between the two of them, heart skipping as Zifeara smiled and laid down. It took all of three seconds for her to sidle up next to him and rest her head on his shoulder, humming happily before yawning.

 

_“Night, Yoosung.”_

 

“Goodnight…”

 

He was on his back and apparently that was where he would stay for the rest of the night. This was worse than having a cat jump into your lap at a friend’s house. The urge to remain still was strong. Now all he could really do was lay there quietly and hope at some point she moved in her sleep so he could turn over. And maybe _move_ over so that he could put a tiny bit of space in between them. It didn’t take terribly long before Yoosung heard Zifeara’s breathing slow and a few minutes after that he dared look at her. It was probably weird to stare at her while she was sleeping, but now that he had, he couldn’t help it. She was so pretty. Even though it was relatively dark in here, he could still make out her features and something about her relaxed expression was calming. He still felt a little too warm due to the situation he was in, but this made him think about when Zifeara sang him to sleep. He focused on the sound of her breathing, softly in and out, in and out, alive and safe. In and out, happy and healthy. In and...out… Warm… and… his. In…

 

And out. He yawned. The blonde didn’t want to be awake, but something was nagging at him. He tried to brush it off, but his brain wouldn’t let it go. He was so comfortable though… Comfortable and warm and… not- not on his back, like he thought he had been. When… when did he move? Zifeara must have let go… of… oh no. Yoosung’s eye shot open, now very much awake and acutely aware of where he was. He was amazed that he hadn’t jumped, but even more amazed that he had any feeling left in his arm. His girlfriend was laying on it, pressed right up to his chest, one of her own arms around his waist and the other tightly by her side. He had his free arm not only draped over her shoulders, but he was holding her like one of his stuffed animals. Their legs were tangled together, meaning there was zero chance of him being able to get up. Warm turned to way too hot in record time. He knew this was a bad idea because he knew he was a cuddler. Seven had told him as much when he spent the night and they accidentally fell asleep near each other watching a movie. He had been woken up completely wrapped around his friend.

Now this was very different. If he didn’t do something soon, he was going to have the problem he thought he would all along. Just the thought of it… Yoosung was already feeling that uncomfortable sensation of being turned on by next to nothing. It happened to him far more than he’d like to admit, but he was stuck where he was. He had to not be stuck here. He moved one of his legs slightly, just out from under one of Zifeara’s but she made a noise and sleepily said his name. Crap. She moved back a little to look at him, clearly not quite alert yet. She blinked a couple of times before giving a very lopsided smile. He had forgotten she said she really wasn’t a morning person.

 

_“Mornin. Feels too early to be awake.”_

 

“M-maybe. Uhm, can I get up? I h-have to pee.”

 

She giggled a little and kissed the tip of his nose, making the blush that was surely all over his face deepen before she helped unwind herself from him and turned over. He got up as quickly as he could before grabbing his backpack, making his way out of the room and down to the guest bathroom. He needed a minute. Dealing with his eye would take plenty of time.

By the time he had settled down and emerged, Zifeara was no longer in her room and the bathroom door was open so she wasn’t there either. He was about to make his way carefully down the stairs when she poked her head around the corner to the kitchen.

 

_“Don’t you dare. I told you last night you aren’t allowed to do the stairs without me till you can see better. Just wait.”_

 

He hated this. It was great that she was here for him and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t like getting to be this close to her, but not being able to do easy things that he should be fine doing was exceptionally annoying. Once she got him downstairs and to the table, Zifeara made oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, both of them easing in relatively comfortable silence minus a question or two between shoving food in their faces. At least she had his zeal for food.

 

_“So I was thinking… Do you want to go get your stuff today? You really only have those pajamas and that’s it, right?”_

 

He nodded since his mouth was full, kind of forgetting that he didn’t have anything else of his here besides a change of clothes. It had only been three days today that he had even been with Zifeara. Every time he thought about it he got a little giddy; she was still real every time he opened his eye again. They got dressed and into the car, and he was happy he had something else to wear. Wearing his party clothes just for this would have been weird. This time when Zifeara sat on his bed to wait for him to gather things, she started playing with the few stuffed animals he had. Yoosung was a little embarrassed at first, but all she did was enthusiastically ask each of their names and where he got them. He had never heard someone so enamored with a grown man’s stuffed toys. It was so _nice_.

Once he had gathered his things and they were about to leave, Zifeara’s phone started ringing. The song that played was without a doubt Nyan Cat and Yoosung stifled a laugh. They were just sitting in her car in the parking lot, so she answered it.

 

_“Yellow? Hahaha, yes. Oh you shut up, you do the same thing! Yeah. Well of course I do. Mhm. Dunno, I’ll see, hang on.”_

 

She turned to look at him and he raised his eyebrows as a question of who she was talking to and what she was clearly going to ask him.

 

_“Seven has something he needs to talk to me about, but he isn’t leaving the hospital since… since the hacker is still there. Do you think you can handle some kinda heavy real talk or do you want me to drop you off at my house first? It’s up to you, I won’t be gone long if you don’t want to know yet.”_

 

He considered this a moment. While he was still pretty tired from generally everything going on and was still on painkillers for the rest of the week… he was also curious. He had the chance to be part of important discussions now.

 

“I want to come with you.”

 

_“Okay. Seven? Yeah, he said he wants to come. Yeah I know, but there are definitely some things he should know right now, don’t you think? Oh hush, it’ll be fine. Sure. See you in a bit.”_

 

Zifeara hung up and glanced back at him, turning the car on.

 

_“So we’re gonna go sit down and talk to Seven. There are a few things he’s going to tell you that might be… uncomfortable for you and then somethings he can’t tell you, only me. Do you understand?”_

 

“Sort of? Why can’t he tell me everything he’s going to tell you?”

 

She sighed, starting to move the car to get them on their way. She spared him a sympathetic sort of smile and he didn’t know why.

 

 _“Because we need to make sure everything we know is a solid fact. We don’t want to tell the RFA things we think are true only to be wrong and worry everyone for nothing. You said you trust me, and I’d like you to keep doing so. I promise you will know absolutely everything once we’re positive_ **_we_ ** _know everything. This is in your best interest, okay?”_

 

The blonde stared at his girlfriend though she had to keep her eyes on the road. He really did trust her, but he had a bad feeling. If they had to get facts straight… this was bigger than he thought.

Once they got to the hospital, they moved down corridors and past countless rooms till they finally came to where Seven was sitting. He was on a bench just outside a room, but the room seemed to have a plexiglass window. The redhead stood and moved to them before Yoosung could see what was in there. Zifeara led them to a sitting area close by and exchanged a look with the hacker, setting a hand on his shoulder and nodding. He took a deep breath and looked the blonde square in the eye.

 

_“Yoosung, as you remember when we got out of Mint Eye, there were two people who you didn’t recognize that helped us. I’ll let Zifeara explain them to you because that’s more her thing, but there was someone there that I knew. The hacker, the one that… that hurt you… That man is my… my twin brother. That’s Saeran.”_

 

He could feel his mouth drop slightly open. Seven never talked about his family, so of course Yoosung didn’t know he had a twin, but that would explain the redhead’s erratic behavior while he was confronting the other hacker.

 

_“I’m only going to tell you as much as we decided you should know right now, so I’ll tell you this; my brother was definitely not supposed to be there. I live the life I do because I thought it was the only way to ensure that Saeran was taken care of and looked after, but… Now he’s this.”_

 

It sort of clicked for him then; Zifeara and Seven _both_ seemed to be mad at V. Zifeara he could sort of understand since all the RFA’s problems were being dumped on her, but Seven practically worshipped V. He spoke without thinking really.

 

“Is that why you’re so mad at V?”

 

Zifeara and Seven shared another look, her grimacing and him narrowing his eyes. The hacker continued.

 

 _“Yes, Yoosung. Something definitely went wrong and V_ **_might_ ** _be to blame for it. I haven’t… seen him since the night you got admitted. He made sure you were okay, ran into Zifeara and I and sort of… disappeared. So. That’s why we’re not telling you everything. Zifeara made sure I didn’t jump to conclusions and is helping me to figure out what’s really going on.”_

 

Yoosung let that all sink in and then nodded. He hadn’t trusted V for a very long time and now it looked like he was right all along, now everyone else was just starting to realize it. This time it was Zifeara who spoke when he looked ready to move on.

 

_“There’s also something we think you should see.”_

 

She stood and held her hand out, interlacing their fingers when he moved to follow. She led him back to the the bench Seven had been sitting on before stopping, smiling to ease away the worried gaze the redhead kept shooting to the window. She moved Yoosung to stand in front of it and squeezed his hand reassuringly as he looked inside. He couldn’t stop the audible gasp he let out as the predatory pair of minty eyes met his own. Those eyes widened for a fraction of a second before Saeran sneered and looked away from him, crossing his arms and leaning back in his bed.

 

_“We’re trying to detox him right now, but at some point once he’s better, we want you to talk to him, honey.”_

 

Yoosung couldn’t believe what he was hearing. That was the enemy hacker who had nearly _put his eye out_. That was the psycho who had threatened to kill his girlfriend. That was… Seven’s brother.

 

“Detox him? From what?”

 

This time Seven was the one who answered and he seemed exhausted.

 

_“That place… they did a lot of awful things. Saeran had a unique cocktail of drugs in his system that he claims he’s been taking for years. He was manic without it and it’s clear whoever was doing this to him… was just using him. The drugs kept him in line and brainwashed and he just-”_

 

Yoosung couldn’t help it when the itchiness came back upon seeing his girlfriend pull the hacker into a hug, but he quickly joined her; Seven was almost in tears. The man in the room glared at them again as they calmed Seven down so that he could go on to mention that Saeran would be living with him once he was healthy again. He’d be getting his brother help and he thought it might be good for his twin to be able to apologize to the blonde for what had happened so he could move on. Zifeara asked Yoosung to go wait in the sitting area they had just been in so they could have their private discussion and he did, watching as Seven pulled up his computer and was going through something on it with her. Just before they left, the redhead dropped probably the biggest bombshell there was to be had.

 

 _“When we find out what’s going on and if V_ **_does_ ** _turn out to be at fault… that will cause a lot of trouble in the RFA. It may happen that… well, that Jumin will take over as our leader.”_

 

That somehow made him feel a bit better. Yoosung had no reason to mistrust Jumin, so the RFA changing hands might actually be a good thing. They said their goodbyes to Seven and piled back into the car. He wasn’t sure how long he was simply staring at the floorboards of the car for, but it was long enough that Zifeara put a hand on his back and started rubbing softly. Snapped back into reality, he quickly smiled as a force of habit, but he could tell she knew it was fake.

 

_“Let’s go home and eat feelings and watch movies.”_

 

That was such a beautiful sentence. He kept forgetting that Zifeara probably knew most of the things he was feeling herself and knew exactly what would fix it. Or at least not let him think too hard about everything all at once.

  
***

 

_“Hey, since we’re in the same place and not busy… do you want to go on a real date?”_

 

He tensed. Yoosung was laying back against Zifeara on the couch while they watched Love Actually; one of only about 4 romance movies she liked since he had gotten through a very emotion heavy day. They had already watched two that he liked and she made snide comments at the entire time, so he let her pick the next one. He had been getting more and more relaxed with how he’d been sitting with his girlfriend till eventually they were here; him lying in between her legs with his back against her chest and one of her arms around his waist. It was really comfortable, but the best part was when she started distractedly running her fingers through his hair. He accidentally hummed out loud and she of course noticed, but instead of laughing at him like he thought she would, Zifeara just smiled and kept doing it, fully absorbed in the movie.

But now she was looking at him, waiting for his answer. It wasn’t like he would say no, of course he wanted to go on a date with her, but he was really unprepared for it. Yes he had more clothes with him, but he didn’t think they were _date worthy_ . Yes he had grabbed a few of his hair clips so he could put his bangs up again even though they weren’t blocking his vision at the moment, but he couldn’t _fuss_ about getting ready here. Yes he knew she didn’t care but he still _looked_ like Hell. He was still a half-baked mummy.

 

“Y-yes, but… well this is going to sound silly, but I um, could… Could I get ready for it at my place? And then maybe meet you somewhere or something?”

 

She was looking down at him, face inches from his own, eyebrow quirked and smile laughing for her.

 

_‘You know, for someone who keeps insisting he’s manly, you’re a lot fussier than I am. Why can’t you just get ready here?”_

 

He scowled and crossed his arms, feeling slightly offended.

 

“Because I didn’t bring _all_ of my clothes with me! I’ve never been on a date before… If I get ready here, I won’t get to go through the process. I have to figure out what I’m wearing and deal with my hair and… nevermind.”

 

Yoosung was pouting and he knew it, but he really did feel like he would regret not getting to do this properly for the first time. That and how was he supposed to get something to surprise her with if she was right there? He wanted his first date ever to be perfect, especially with Zifeara.

 

_“Sweetheart, I didn’t say I wouldn’t let you go home for that, I was just teasing you. Because you kinda are more high maintenance than me~”_

 

He huffed as she kissed the top of his head and returning to the movie, resuming playing with his hair. This was going to be interesting.

That night he didn’t bother fighting Zifeara on sleeping with her; it was no less nerve wrecking, but he knew there was no point. It took him longer to fall asleep this time since today was pretty calm, but he kind of liked being able to softly run his fingers through her hair and just enjoy being there. Even though his heart was trying to beat out of his chest, Yoosung was starting to think it was just because they were in a bed. When they were on the couch, cuddling up to her was completely relaxing. Once that thought hit him, it became a little easier to relax; she wanted him here with her right now even though she wasn’t awake. Zifeara wanted to cuddle with him so much, she didn’t want to stop just because they weren’t awake. As long as he thought of it as that and nothing, well, nothing naughtier, this was pretty nice. He could behave himself for her. He could do anything for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaay, first dates are fun! At least they should be.


	18. The Thief That Stole My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a first date that couldn't have gone any better, Yoosung finds out exactly what kind of company Zifeara keeps.

Okay, everything he needed was laid out on his nightstand so he couldn’t forget anything, he was almost done in the shower, and he still had two hours left. He was ahead of schedule, which was fantastic considering he still had _no idea_ what he was wearing. Nothing seemed good enough for his first real date while still being casual and everything seemed to clash with the bandages on his head. Yoosung had thrown just about every single piece of clothing he owned around his room, putting them together and layering things, but each set he held up to himself couldn't distract him from the glaring evidence that he'd been through something awful lately. God, why did they have to go out like this? If only this crap wasn't so glaringly… wait.

The blonde wrapped his towel around his waist, stepping out of the shower and mentally patting himself on the back for thinking clearly for once. Before he'd started getting ready at all, he stopped at the drugstore around the corner and solved his biggest problem. They made gauze in colors now. At first he almost went with the sky blue since it was his favorite color, but he ended up choosing yellow since it matched his hair more and would stand out less on his face.

He toweled his hair dry and started to put the new gauze on, happy he'd thought of matching the color it'd be _right next to_ all day. It actually looked so good he might not go back to white at all. He did what he could to make his hair behave better than usual and thankfully it looked better than he had gotten it for the party. Emerging from his bathroom, Yoosung grabbed the pair of red hairpins he had, carefully sliding them into place exactly where he wanted them before trying to decide on his clothes again. He settled on the jeans he'd worn when he dressed in darker colors for Zifeara, but still couldn't figure out if he even wanted to wear his blue hoodie or not. That greatly affected his shirt choice.

He would bet money his girlfriend would have something nice and black she'd put on for this, so maybe he should be the bright one this time. He settled on a red shirt with two diagonal white stripes across the chest and picked the only jacket he had for nice weather besides his hoodie; a white zip up with a big yellow star over the right-hand pocket. He put his white boots on and looked himself over again, pleased with his decision. He looked pretty good for someone who'd had an insane two weeks. Right? Hmm. There was an easy way to find out. Yoosung grabbed his phone off his desk.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

 

_707: I know, and I'm sorry._

_707: It still has to wait till we meet up on Friday._

_Zen: I can't stand all this waiting…_

_707: Heya, Yoosung!_

_707: What are u hanging out with us for when u_

_707:_ **_have a girlfriend?_ **

_Actually, I was hoping you two were around :Yoosung★_

_because speaking of Zifeara, she and I are going on our first date today! :Yoosung★_

_707: Are u now? X3_

_Zen: Already? Where are you going?_

_I don't know… :Yoosung★_

_Zifeara said she knew the perfect place, :Yoosung★_

_but wanted it to be a surprise… :Yoosung★_

_707: lol Bet u I could find out in under a minute._

_Zen: Don't, dude…_

_Zen: You've already spent too much time digging around in Zifeara's personal life!_

_Yeah, besides, it's my surprise and I'm excited! :Yoosung★_

_Anyway, I came to ask if you thought I looked okay. :Yoosung★_

_It took me forever to decide on what to wear… :Yoosung★_

 

Yoosung quickly snapped a picture of himself in his full length mirror, finding it hard to stop looking nervous. He had just over an hour before Zifeara would be here to get him and he could _feel_ it.

 

_Zen: Wow, nice Yoosung!_

_707: U look so cute!_

_707: Zifeara's gonna flip when she sees u_

_You really think so?! :Yoosung★_

_It was hard to pick anything nice that wasn't what I wore to the party T_T:Yoosung★_

_Zen: Not gonna lie, didn't think you had other jackets besides that hoodie of yours lol_

_707: U do wear that one 25-7 lol_

_It's my favorite one! :Yoosung★_

_Besides, Zifeara loves it too, so it isn't just me. :Yoosung★_

_Zen: Yeah right, you're the only one who could_ **_love_ ** _your nerd jacket._

_She does! She put it on when she got out of bed to make breakfast this morning! :Yoosung★_

_707: Uh, Yoosung…_

_Zen:_ **_Wait_ **

_Zen: How was your jacket close enough that she grabbed it and you_ **_saw her do it?_ **

_707: Oh my~_

_I uh, I have to go, I'm still getting ready :Yoosung★_

_and Zifeara will be here soon;; :Yoosung★_

_Zen:_ **_Yoosung Kim_ **

_Zen:_ **_tell me you aren't doing what it sounds like you are._ **

_707: U lucky little nerd, u~_

_Thanks, guys! Bye! :Yoosung★_

 

_Yoosung★ has left the chatroom_

 

_Zen: I'm not crazy right!?!_

_Zen: It_ **_really_ ** _sounded like he's sleeping with her?!?_

_707: Ya._

_Zen: Damnit, I told her all men were wolves!_

_Zen: I didn't think Yoosung would be like this…_

_707: Zen relax._

_707: If I've learned anything about Zifeara in the past two weeks_

_707: I'd bet u Elizabeth the 3rd that it was her idea <3 _

 

Approval gained from his friends, now it was just time to wait. Wait and make sure he actually had everything so that if Zifeara got here early, he'd be ready. Yoosung paced around, making his way through the mental checklist of things he'd remembered to do. His hair looked as good as it ever had. His clothes had no wrinkles, no lint balls, literally nothing on them. He was pretty sure he'd accidentally brushed his teeth twice.

He sat on his bed and scooped up his favorite stuffed animal; a super fluffy brown rabbit his sister had gotten him when he graduated high school so he could take it to college. Reaching out to his nightstand, he also picked up the nearly identical white rabbit he'd seen while he was out getting his new bandages. He was about 90% sure the brown rabbit was Zifeara's favorite of his animals too, so he'd bought its twin for her on his way back. He grinned at the pair. He was missing something.

His rabbit had a yellow bandana tied around its neck, which he untied. The cloth had little white stars on it and he wore it for every major LOLOL game he played. He had won his #2 spot on the server while wearing this. It was lucky. Yoosung tied the bandana around his own neck, getting up and adjusting it in his mirror until it looked good. Now he was set.

He tried to entertain himself by playing Bokémon while he waited for Zifeara to tell him she was here, but time seemed to creep by. He didn't think he was this nervous going into Mint Eye, for crying out loud… He moved in the game on autopilot, training his new team as his thoughts wandered. What if Zifeara changed her mind? What if she realized how boring he was now that she'd spent time with him? What if she didn't want to go out with him? _Do I not look like I could have any man I wanted?_ He could hear her clearly in his head just as if she was standing in front of him again. _Well I want you._ Did she really though? _Sometimes you should just shut up and be happy._ He was happy. Overall stressed and freaking out and uncertain of just about everything, but right now in his room looking as good as he could get… he was happy. The knock on his door made him jump. Had he been spacing out that long?

Yoosung quickly grabbed his phone and wallet, shoving both into his pants pockets before re-straightening his shirt and jacket, checking for just a second everything was still perfect, and hiding the white rabbit behind his back. He took a deep breath and opened his door. Then promptly forgot all about oxygen. He was half right about Zifeara and her black.

There she stood in all her glory, black v neck shirt with rainbow music notes moving from her left shoulder down in a swirl to her hip, red plaid mini skirt brightly contrasting with the dark color. If he could have looked any further down than that, the blonde would have sworn her black boots had suspiciously feline faces on them, but he was too transfixed on everything from Zifeara’s thighs up. He _thought_ he looked good.

 

 _“Hey, Yoosung~ Wow, why didn't you wear_ **_that_ ** _to the party? You look so handsome in white!”_

 

Okay, maybe he did look good. Still nowhere near as good as the angel in his doorway with very deliberate waves in her hair and shimmering burgundy eyeshadow over long eyelashes and glistening full lips.

 

“I… I could ask you the same thing… No, nevermind, I would have been really mad if you looked like that for the party. I wouldn't have been able to leave you alone for a _second_ if you looked like that…”

 

_“Hahahaha, same. Imagine how many more girls I would have had to growl at if you had looked that cute a couple of days ago! Ready to leave?”_

 

“Uh, uhuh. Oh! I mean no, hold on. Close your eyes and hold your hands out!”

 

She quirked an eyebrow, but did as he asked, still grinning to one side as she often did. Man he loved that ridiculous smile. He gently placed the rabbit in her hands facing her, careful not to let it fall over.

 

“Okay!”

 

Zifeara opened her eyes looking directly at the rabbit's face and he was _so_ glad he'd decided the toy was a good idea. Yoosung was pretty sure she almost squealed.

 

 _“Oh my god, this looks_ **_just_ ** _like the one you have! Oh he's so cute, I love it!”_

 

She hugged the rabbit to her chest and gave a little bounce, making him laugh.

 

“I was worried you didn't really like rabbits, but I was pretty sure mine was the one of my animals you looked at the longest. Alright, _now_ we can go!”

 

Yoosung gingerly held his hand out for Zifeara to take, still sort of nervous about doing boyfriend things. She took it quickly and they practically skipped to her car.

 

“So where are we going?”

 

_“You'll see! Man, it's been forever since I've been on a real date. This is going to be so much fun~”_

 

“Yeah? When was the last time you went on a date?”

 

He had asked out of curiosity, but he immediately regretted it. Zifeara faltered, as though she had tripped on herself, the only really ungraceful thing Yoosung had seen her do so far while just moving, and she stammered.

 

_“O-oh, uhm, probably around a year ago or something? Let's not talk about that. Forget I said anything at all besides how jazzed I am for today, okay? I don't want to talk about my history with guys in any capacity; you're the only one that matters now, yes?”_

 

“Uh, yeah, whatever you want. I'm sorry, I didn't know I should avoid it…”

 

_“No, it's fine, I… I didn't tell you. And I won't. Not yet. It isn't really even a third date kind of conversation, haha… It's more of a… ‘I need to get ready for this’ kind of conversation.”_

 

Great. They hadn't even gotten in that car to get their date underway and he'd already ruined it. He hadn't seen Zifeara look self conscious this entire time either and it was breaking his heart the way she had gone from nearly vibrating with excited energy to shrinking in on herself. The blonde quickly pulled her into a hug.

 

“I'm sorry, really I am. I don't need to know until you _want_ to tell me. It can wait as long as you need it to. Please don't be upset, I wanted today to be perfect; it's way too early for me to have ruined everything!”

 

That at least got her to laugh and she returned his embrace before assuring him that she was fine and moving them along to get in the car. The awkwardness of what had just happened passed as they fell back into a normal conversation in the car about how nice it would be to go out and do something, but Yoosung made certain to remember to avoid _anything_ that could potentially do that again. He was dying of curiosity, but there was no way he'd let that happen again today of all days. By the time he recognized where they were, Yoosung admitted they could be going anywhere for their date; Zifeara was in the heart of the city. She parked in a parking garage and they got out, starting to walk in a seemingly particular direction.

 

_“Okay, decision time; are you hungry enough to eat first or do you want to see where I wanted to take you now? I'm happy with either.”_

 

“Hmmm… I think I could eat, actually. What kind of food do you want?”

 

_“Do you like Italian? My favorite Italian place is really close to where we're going!”_

 

“Sure! I can't say I've eaten it a lot, but it's pretty hard to do pasta wrong!”

 

 _“Absolutely. I'm pretty sure my four food groups are sugar, meat, dairy, and_ **_pasta_ ** _!”_

 

The restaurant in question was fairly small for the part of town they were in, barely more than a large studio apartment but had a good sized fenced in area outside full of tables. When Yoosung shot her a questioning look, Zifeara explained it was family owned and they made pretty much everything by hand right here. They asked to be seated outside since it was a lovely day; nice enough in fact that he took his jacket off. Zifeara helped him order since he couldn't say most of what was on the menu and it was about this time that he learned something new.

Their waiter wasn't Korean and was trying his best to keep up with them, but he was having a hard time and they did have to point to a few things. That was when Zifeara said something he didn't understand and the guy's face lit up. They carried on a short conversation before he went to place their orders, but Yoosung did recognize a single word: America.

 

“Y-you actually _speak_ English...?”

 

Yoosung had heard her use a few English words over voice chat when they played LOLOL, but that hadn't been weird considering pretty much the whole RFA new a _few_ words in English. Zifeara rested her head in her hands and smiled.

 

_“Oh sure. I was raised bilingual. I'm actually first generation Korean, haha. My mom, dad, and aunt were all from the United States; California to be exact.”_

 

“Oh wow. Have you ever been there? What's it like? America, I mean.”

 

He was absorbed in every detail she gave of the place she'd visited nearly every summer with her aunt; the beautiful beaches, hot sun, huge redwood forests and lakes... San Francisco. Places that weren't California. The deserts of Arizona. Snowy mountains in Wisconsin. The marshes of Louisiana. All of it sounded amazing and… unreal. It was a wonder they managed to eat their food with as many questions as he asked and she answered.

 

“That all sounds amazing, Zifeara. Makes me really want to see it someday…”

 

_“Hahaha, that can be arranged. I haven't been back since Aunt Hem passed, so I wouldn't mind taking you with me.”_

 

“Really?! I mean, I would love to go but… I'd probably have to finish school and start working so I can afford to.”

 

_“You've seen my house, right? What makes you think you'd have to pay for anything? You just need the time to go and we're gone.”_

 

“I- no, I couldn't do that! That wouldn't be fair…”

 

She was giving the ‘this is not an argument you're winning with me’ look again.

 

_“Pumpkin, you're a broke college student and I'm stupidly rich with very little to spend my money on. I'm paying for vacation. Just like I'm paying for pretty much everything we're doing today.”_

 

“What? No you-”

 

_“Don't fight me on this one. If it's embarrassing to have a girl pay for things for you, I'll give you my card so that no one looks at you funny. Like I said, I don't have a lot I want, so I don't spend money that often. Let me spoil you, it makes me happy~”_

 

He wasn't sure whether to be offended for her thinking that would be why he didn't want to let her pay for everything or embarrassed that she had just said she wanted to spoil him as though he were a pet. Yoosung settled for annoyed grumbling while he put the last of his pasta in his mouth. He was pretty sure Zifeara quietly said ‘that's better’ but he couldn't be sure and let it go.

 

_“Think if I got dessert you'd eat a few bites of it? I'd kill a man over their tiramisu.”_

 

“Over the what?”

 

Over the delicious espresso cake he may have had more than a few bites of even though he was full. Yoosung wanted to learn how to _make_ this. By the time they finally left and went on to wherever else they were supposed to be, he had a new favorite Italian place. They walked a couple of blocks down, past where they left the car and turned, Zifeara taking both his hands and pulling him close to her. She put one hand over his good eye and told him to walk slowly backwards, guiding him till they stopped probably halfway down the street. She turned him in place, sight still withheld and moved behind him. She tilted his head up slightly since he had been mostly looking down. She made him take two steps forward this way and quickly removed her hand. As the automatic doors she had made him walk through opened, they revealed a massive building full of machines with bright flashing colors emitting cartoonish sounds. He audibly gasped. He was so in love with this woman.

 

“An _arcade_?!”

 

_“Surprise! What better place to bring my nerdy, game-centric Paladin for his first ever date than an adult arcade?”_

 

Zifeara moved back around to stand in front of him and had the tip of her tongue poking through her teeth as she smiled. _God, she was so cute_. And very excited.

 

_“C’mon, first things first, we need to go look at the prizes so we know how many tickets we need to win!”_

 

The blonde followed swiftly after her, ducking in between people to one of the corners of the building. The walls of this corner were lined with shelves of various objects and the glass display cases in front of them seemed just as packed. There were typical things that one would expect at an arcade, but a lot of the things on the shelves were silly things you’d imagine an adult would show more interest in, making it a bit more obvious this wasn’t a standard place. Zifeara must have noticed him looking curiously at some of the more adult oriented prizes.

 

_“This place is specifically geared towards teenagers and grown ups, so a lot of the games are harder and some are older than most kids would remember. Figure out what you want yet?”_

 

“Uhm, no. I have no idea how many tickets I can even gather before we get bored, haha.”

 

Zifeara gave him a smirk like she already had a plan.

 

_“Want some help then?”_

 

He nodded and she pointed to a smaller shelf lined with stuffed animals of every sort and color.

 

_“See that black cat? I want that. Look like, three over? There’s a yellow dog that sort of reminds me of someone, but I can’t seem to think of who~”_

 

Of course it did. Actually, she had a point; the dog was really cute and he liked it too. He had already gotten her a rabbit to match his, it seemed fitting that they would get matching animals together now.

 

_“Wanna make things more interesting?”_

 

“Go on…”

 

_“We should compete to see who can win the other’s animal first! They both cost the same. Bring me my cat before I bring you your dog and you win!”_

 

“Oh, it’s on! You know I’m the master of videogames~ What… what do I win?”

 

She almost looked confused for a moment, but ultimately she must have been toying with an idea because she slowly smiled a little too widely.

 

_“Whatever you want, I suppose.”_

 

Yoosung didn’t have a response to that other than a slight reddening of his cheeks and a nervous smile in return. Zifeara nodded and got each of them an entire cup of tokens for the machines, surely enough for what they were doing. She walked him around the building, showing him his options before informing him that her warmup game of choice was on the far side of the room and said he had his pick of anything in the room but that they’d meet back near the prize counter in an hour to see how they were doing. The blonde almost pouted to hear they wouldn’t be spending all of their date together, but the nearly sarcastic way she wished him good luck and hastily made off to win her tickets got his competitive blood pumping. He would prove to be the best boyfriend ever, starting with beating her to that cat.

The blonde chose a cabinet he was well familiar with and got started, soon finding that much to his dismay, playing games was also now a bit harder with only one eye. It wasn’t impossible and he liked to think he was adapting quickly, but it was pretty annoying to be knocked down a peg from the get go. Plus he had no clue how good his girlfriend was at anything other than LOLOL. She could have a massive advantage over him because of this.

More than once it happened that he and Zifeara crossed paths, playing several games at the same time or together when said game allowed, actually going head to head towards their goals. This was turning out to be better than he thought it would since he bumped into her probably every other game he played and she counted that as a direct challenge. It was all in all the best time he’d had in a long while. He almost forgot what he was doing to stop and watch her play Asteroids for a bit, one of her favorites that she wasn’t great at. She grinned and informed him she was confident enough in her victory that she could take a minute to play one of the games she liked but sucked at and that sent him into a new frenzy of attempting to win. Zifeara would give him anything he could ask her for if he won… God, he knew what he _wanted_ to ask for, but that wasn’t happening. _That_ was just his 20 year old guy mind talking. He’d have to think of what he actually had the guts to ask for…

Everything was going pretty well. He was about 60 tickets from the cat and he still had a good 20 minutes to get them. He just had to play something hard that he was good at and he could easily get those. What did he used to dominate at the arcade he went to as a kid that was pretty difficult? Yoosung heard the familiar sounds of a cartoon gun being fired and turned around to spot two teenagers yelling at a two person shooter, one of them returning the toy gun to its holster as he’d just died. Bingo. He ruled at shooting games thanks to his lightning fast reaction times. He waited for the other kid to lose and settled in, inserting his tokens and selecting the single player campaign. Running some quick calculations, he figured out that if he won the whole game, he’d have a little less than enough for the cat. Perfect. One more game of his choice after this and he won their bet.

The game started up and he wasn’t doing too badly, the first level being purposefully easy to get players used to the game. The blonde was starting to notice into the second level, however, that he was getting shot an awful lot more than he should be. There was always a guy or two that he didn’t see enter the field and get a shot off before he knew where they were. On level three, he noticed it was always on his left side… the side he couldn’t see out of. He tried turning his head more, but that simply resulted in being accosted from both sides and culminated in his death. This was not going to stand.

Yoosung tried again, making it to roughly the same spot with slightly more health, but still being overwhelmed. He… he actually couldn’t do this anymore. Being down an eye actually stopped him from doing something he used to be good at. He felt the eye he had left sting with the promise of tears, but he bit his tongue. He was an adult and in public. It was just a game… and his injured eye would heal. He felt a hand on his lower back. Turning, he found Zifeara, brows furrowed but eyes sympathetic.

 

“O-oh, uh, hi Zifeara. Did you, um…?”

 

She looked from his face to the game, assessing how far he had gotten. God, this was something trivial but he felt awful, as though this game had lit up a massive sign with the word ‘loser’ on it the second he died. Zifeara made what sounded like a decisive grunt, moving around him and reaching her hands behind his neck.

 

“Wh-what are you-?”

 

She untied the bandana from his neck and folded it, making a rectangle. He had no idea what she was up to till she placed the cloth over her head and tied it, using it to cover her right eye. She slotted tokens into the machine on both sides before turning to smile brightly at him.

 

_“I can fix this. These things were meant to be two player anyway!”_

 

She turned around and grabbed the second gun, putting her back flat against his chest in a way that she was in between his arms and her head was against his to the left. He couldn’t see her, but he could feel the warmth in her voice.

 

_“I’ll get the left, you get the right. Every Paladin needs a support class. Let’s do this!”_

 

He hadn’t realized a few people were taking notice of what they were doing and had settling in to watch their game since the enemies started coming at them, but that was probably for the best. The way they were whispering about how cute of a couple they were and how sweet it was that this girl was helping her disabled boyfriend play a game he wanted to would have made him too embarrassed to do anything. The further into the game they got, the more he was enjoying it; Zifeara was apparently really good at shooters too and they barely got hit at all with each of them taking control of a side. Just like in LOLOL, she always called out pickups on her side in case he needed them so that he could turn and grab it, a favor he returned and before he knew it, the machine was pouring out tickets from both sides.

It was only when the game over screen displayed after they beat the end boss that he noticed the small crowd of people they had attracted, all of which had started clapping for them. _Now_ his face was on fire. That had been amazing and he couldn’t believe their teamwork from online actually translated to real life too. Zifeara turned to him, grinning like a maniac, his lucky bandana still over her eye and he could swear his heart was visibly beating against his ribcage.

 

_“Well that was epic! Those bloody aliens never stood a chance against both of us!”_

 

“Yeah, hehe. Zifeara? Th-thank you. I uh… nevermind. That’s enough on my side to get you your cat.”

 

Her grin didn’t falter, but her eyes shifted, making her look one of more chagrin amusement. She moved the bag she had slung over her shoulder around and pulled the yellow dog from it, holding it up to face him.

 

_“Uh… I kinda already won yours… haha.”_

 

“What?! How did you even-? Last time we played together, you were further behind than I was!”

 

 _“Well, I’m kinda_ **_really_ ** _good at skee ball and it’s a fast game to play. When I saw how close you were last game, I went to the one I knew I was best at. Sorry, hahaha, I win!”_

 

At this point he couldn’t even be mad; he wanted a wish, but the compassion she had just showed him was more than enough. She untied his bandana as he took his new friend, sighing as she returned the starry garment to its rightful place. They went to go get her cat, opting to save their excess tickets for when they were actually done since there were a few games they still wanted to do together now that there was no rush.

 

“Zifeara? Do you know what you want for… your prize?”

 

It took her a second to remember he wasn’t talking about the cat, but instead of telling him what it was, she just replied with ‘later’ and dove right back into the games on their list to do co-op. They spent another two hours going through just about everything in this place, every once in a while hearing their phones going off but every time ignoring them. They were far too busy with each other to worry about anyone else today. By the time they were finally out of games and nearly out of tokens, Zifeara pointed at just one more thing she determined a must: a photo booth. Oh lord, he had read about these thing in just about every manga that featured a highschool couple and was pretty sure he would never get to actually do this.

They both enthusiastically crammed into the tiny both, deciding on what faces they would make for the four photos that would be taken. In order they chose a nice normal one of just them smiling, then a silly one, then one showing off their new animals, and lastly a cute one of him pressing a kiss to her cheek. They set up and positioned themselves for all four and started the machine up. The small screen in front of them only served to help them determine when they were centered in the frame and display big red numbers counting down from 3 to indicate when it would take the picture. The first three went exactly as planned save for a little scrambling for the first one, but as Yoosung was learning, Zifeara didn’t like 100% following plans. They shifted just a bit for their last picture, him wrapping an arm around her waist and her setting her cat off to the side. He had closed his eye and turned to face her, the idea being that she’d move her face closer till his lips rested on her cheek so he wouldn’t have to try to guess where she was, but habit was a tricky thing to beat. Just as he heard the screen beep the second time, he heard something that made him forget the plan and open his eye in concern.

 

_“Yoosung.”_

 

Hmm? Was there something wrong? What did she-

 

He looked just in time for Zifeara to press her lips to his, eyes squeezed shut in clear preparation for the picture that was taken.

 

“H-hey! No fair! Haaa… Now I probably look dumb in that one…”

 

She simply stuck her tongue out and dove through the curtain isolating the booth from the outside. By the time he got out, she was just about bouncing waiting for the thing to print both strips of pictures. As soon as one fell into its holder, Zifeara snatched it up laughing. He took the second one with a steady pout, but to his surprise… the last one might have actually been his favorite. He didn’t look too bad, just genuinely caught off guard. You couldn’t tell he was blushing since the camera snapped before his body could react and they had sat him on the side of her that made it look like he didn’t even have half his face covered. This… really wasn’t bad. Zifeara turned to ask him how he liked them, but stopped short when she saw him tear the strip in half, separating the top and bottom photos.

 

_“Hey, what are you doing? You aren’t upset I did that, are you?”_

 

“No, of course not! It’s just that-”

 

He pulled his wallet from his back pocket, sliding the lower half of the strip into place in the pocket holding the picture of him and Rika so that his old self was covered.

 

“I did say I wanted to put pictures of us in this wallet someday, didn’t I? I like the lower ones best, so I’ll keep these with me and put the other two by my computer when I get home.”

 

It occurred to him for a split second that she might be upset that he kept Rika’s picture in there still after everything that had happened, but thankfully she just smiled and hugged him.

 

_“You’re too cute, you know that? Alright, that was the last thing on our list, ready to go?”_

 

“Yeah, if you are. Are we going back to your house?”

 

_“Hahaha, not quite. There’s one more place to visit before our date is done.”_

 

She took his hand again as they walked back to the car, talking about what their favorite games had been and what they would be having for dinner tonight. As they got into the car, Yoosung took his lucky bandana off and put it around the neck of his new dog. The article had found itself a new home.

Driving through more of the city, he was again curious as to where it was Zifeara wanted to take him. The arcade had already been special enough, so what else could she possibly have in store to rival that? They came to a stop near a slightly less busy part of town, populated more with small stores and restaurants, many of which looked quaint. The shop in particular she led him to was no exception. They were at a… bookstore? The bell over the door jingled softly as Zifeara entered, echoing around through the shelves.

 

_“Welcome!”_

 

A voice from what looked to be a small cafe in the corner greeted them. The young girl it came from was a teenager with bushy brown hair and brown eyes behind smudged glasses. She waved, the tiniest screwdriver Yoosung had ever seen in her hands.

 

_“Heya, Kumo. Is Mal around right now or is she busy?”_

 

_“Ha. She’s around somewhere. Downstairs I think. I’ll text her if you want.”_

 

Zifeara rolled her eyes.

 

_“I already told her we’re coming, just ring the bloody bell. She’s been practically bouncing all day knowing I’d be here.”_

 

“This place has a downstairs?”

 

Yoosung was looking from one girl to the other, confused. Zifeara smirked. Kumo reached under the counter and very obviously poked something.

 

_“Only if you’re lucky enough to know about it.”_

 

“Uh, what exactly is under this store?”

 

_“My favorite hive of scum and villainy.”_

 

_“Welcome to the Black Market, Paladin. Please keep a hand on all valuables at all times and enjoy the ride!”_

 

It felt… really weird to hear someone else call him Paladin. _Again_. Someone besides Zifeara had called him that before...

 

_“Kumo, don’t be silly. Everyone here knows better than to steal from someone I like. And if they don’t they learn right quick. Go back to your whatever it is that’ll blow up and tell Mal I’m in the usual corner.”_

 

 _“Will do. I figured out how to make the remote control work without the bombs going off finally!”_ She wandered back to the front counter, texting.

 

Now he was very, very confused. Everyone was just really used to Zifeara’s sarcasm, right? This was just something that he’d adapt to? He expected her to have odd friends considering how unique she was, and well, he had weird friends too if you looked at the RFA, but this was… They sat at a table and Zifeara folded her hands in front of her face, hiding the grin she surely had as she gauged his reaction. He wasn’t falling for this, Seven did this to him too often for him to take anything at face value. There was no way she was serious. He was about to say something when a new voice behind him nearly made him fall out of his chair.

 

_“Well it’s about time! Did you take the scenic route or something?”_

 

He _knew_ that voice… from somewhere. Turning to look at whoever was talking, he almost thought his other eye might need to be fixed. Zifeara confirmed he wasn’t just seeing things by addressing the vaguely familiar dark-skinned girl behind him with as much sarcasm as he’d ever heard her use.

 

 _“Well I’m sorry, your highness, I was busy making sure my new boyfriend had a good time for his first ever date, I was unaware literally everything ran on your schedule. Besides,_ **_you’re_ ** _never on time when I tell you be somewhere either.”_

 

_“A thief is never late, she arrives exactly when she means to.”_

 

_“And what does that make me then? I’d say it makes me on time.”_

 

_“Arguably I arrived perfectly on time for being calvary. I'm good calvary. Looking better by the way, Paladin. Do I get to know your name now?”_

 

Okay, forget confused, he was _lost_ . That was definitely the same person he saw at Mint Eye and they were well aware he was coming here today. She really _did_ come to his rescue because she knew Zifeara, but… were they really not kidding then?

 

“Uh, sorry, I’m Yoosung. Yoosung Kim. I don’t think I actually know yours either… really.”

 

_“I’d be surprised if you did. I’m Malaya. Mal for short.”_

 

_“Malaya is my best friend and has been for a long time now. You could say this place is kind of like the RFA for me. I belong here and we’re all family. Hey, speaking of, you haven’t seen Kai today have you? I was hoping he wasn’t here right now.”_

 

_“He isn’t. He’s off running legitimate errands for Michael. I almost want to say grocery shopping since he actually, you know, buys ‘food,’ food.”_

 

Zifeara leaned back in her chair, seemingly more relaxed as Mal took a seat.

 

_“Oh thank god. You’re one thing, but you know how he gets whenever he meets someone like-”_

 

Like? She was doing that thing she did this morning. Stopping herself from saying something around him.

 

_“Like this. The worst you’re going to do is ask a million questions and tease him.”_

 

Oh great.

 

_“I resent the implication that I am less scary than Kai. I’m totally scarier. Aren’t I Yoosung?”_

 

If he was honest, she was kind of adorable with how tiny she was, but instinct was telling him the correct answer was ‘yes’. He didn’t get a chance to reply to her at all.

 

 _“Malaya, have you_ **_seen_ ** _Kai? Do you not remember what he looked like the last time we went out and that one guy thought he could be uppity with me? Kai had him on the floor before I could get a snide remark in. Kai is scarier till you know better. Always. Especially with me.”_

 

“Who’s Kai? And what are you talking about? And where are we? I have too many questions to not ask.”

 

He didn’t want to be annoying, but Yoosung had a feeling if he didn’t ask, he wouldn’t be told around here.

 

 _“Oh Hell, you’ve never heard me call him Kai, have you?_ **_Fang’s_ ** _real name is Kai.You’ll… you’ll meet him when I can arrange for you to, but he’s pretty intimidating to just pop up out of nowhere… ”_

 

 **_Oh._ ** Right… Fang was overprotective because they were pretty much siblings. Well, he’d worry about that later. Malaya laughed as that was really the only easy question in the bunch.

 

 _“Sooo...are you really going to make_ **_me_ ** _drop the bomb on your poor new friend?”_

 

 _“Boyfriend, and_ **_you_ ** _wanted to meet him so much you demanded I show up today. Might as well properly introduce yourself, your grace.”_

 

_“I claim no responsibility for scaring him off.”_

 

Zifeara snorted once and and placed her hands behind her head, now fully relaxing into her chair.

 

_“Please, if he isn’t already scared of me, I think it’s too late for that. Besides, I’m sure I’ll have a lot to explain when we get home anyway. I already didn’t tell him I have enough money to buy a small nation till just two days ago.”_

 

Malaya shrugged. _“Alrighty. Well to answer your other question, Paladin, this is the Black Market, headquarters of the Sun Underground. We’re criminals. Personally, I steal things. I do more but that’s my favorite. The man who was with me at Mint Eye was Fell, he’s a bodyguard of sorts. Kumo over there, she likes building toys. That explode. There are a few more of us, but they’ll come out when they want. I’m sure you’ll meet Michael eventually, if not today.”_

 

Looking in between the two, Yoosung couldn’t find a hint of jest on either of their faces. They… they were serious about this. He literally fell in love with a member of an organized crime force. Of course he did.

 

 _“I like stealing things too, but,”_ Zifeara looked almost sheepish about the admission, _“my specialty lies in distraction while Mal swipes whatever we want. For me, being the girl in the room who has every guy’s attention comes naturally. That’s why I didn’t really give two shits about Zen. I’m used to it at work.”_

 

“You… you are? How often do you…”

 

_“Whenever Mal tells me to. It’s my job.”_

 

As bad as it sounded, he couldn’t bring himself to feel upset about any of this. Only… kind of irritated that Zifeara would be flirting with other men while they were dating. His priorities couldn’t seem to straighten themselves out at the moment, but they were trying.

 

“So, do you steal from bad people? Do you… that sounds stupid, of course you do bad things, but like, how bad? Tell me this isn’t as bad as it sounds…”

 

 _“To be fair, Zifeara actually isn’t too involved with the worst stuff we do like weapons running. She mostly just helps fund our various uh...things.”_ Malaya trailed off, looking annoyed at her own words. _“We aren’t that big anymore.”_

 

_“That and I more specifically run interference so everyone else can be happy little criminals and I just have fun messing with people. Sure I nick something shiny or two from time to time, but the worst thing I could probably be convicted of is aiding and abetting and maybe possession of multiple firearms. That’s the worst of it. Either you’re shell shocked, or you’re taking this really well.”_

 

Probably a little of both. This also wasn’t the worst thing he’d heard in the past week, so that didn’t hurt either…

 

“I… okay. I don’t… I don’t think that necessarily makes you a bad person, Zifeara, it’s just- Do you have anything else I should know about so that we can just get all of this out of the way now?”

 

_“She’s really looking forward to corrupting you?”_

 

_“Malaya!”_

 

Well that was new. That may have been the deepest shade of red he’d seen Zifeara’s face turn to date.

 

 _“What? You said-”_ Zifeara smacked her hand over the small one’s mouth.

 

“I… I don’t think I want to be a criminal… I’d be bad at it and I probably don’t have any skills useful to you.”

 

 _“Yes, you would be bad at it, she’s referring more to teaching you bad habits and has_ **_poor wording_ ** _. You don’t get to be a member of the Underground._ **_You_ ** _have school to finish.”_

 

Zifeara was glaring at Mal with clear intention to immolate. It was a strange thought, but Yoosung could see what good friends they were. It almost reminded him of his conversation with Seven on the way to Mint Eye.

 

“I guess… I guess there are worse things you could be. And you don’t do it very often, right? You just do it once in awhile?”

 

_“Yeah, sometimes Mal doesn’t even need me to go. Sometimes I just have to suck up to someone to get information out of them and then I’m done for the day. Point is, I’m never the heavy lifter. But I am still part of a crime syndicate and that isn’t changing because I’m dating you. There’s nothing that will stop me from doing this. Except maybe death, but that’s very unlikely.”_

 

 _Unlikely?_ Okay, that was the new worst part. Having one secret agent friend was bad enough, now this was just ridiculous.

 

“You can’t get hurt while you’re… doing whatever it is you do! I’m not mad at you for doing illegal things, but you at least have to look after yourself.”

 

Malaya laughed. _“There’s no such thing as a safe job. But Zifeara can take care of herself and she never works alone so she doesn’t have to. We do our best.”_

 

_“And I’m not a moron. I’ve been at this long enough and been through plenty of things that I don’t trust easily. That and I’m pretty sure I could take just about anyone who wanted to hurt me. And I’m never unarmed at work. There’s at least two knives on me right now, and I’m not even on the clock.”_

 

“You what?!”

 

Zifeara smiled and reached under the table, slipping a hand under her skirt and coming back with a small knife, probably only a few inches in length and setting it in front of her.

 

 _“That’s the smaller one. Mal’s got...”_ She looked her friend up and down for a second, _“Four right now?”_

 

Mal tilted her head, then pat herself down. “ _Yup. Four. Dad’s and two more.”_

 

He was speechless. Where did either of them even hide them? Where… where was Zifeara’s other one?! That was not a thought he needed to be having right now. There were way more important things to think about now. And somehow none of them were coming to mind. You know what, whatever. Zifeara was _still_ not the weirdest member of the RFA. This was doable.

 

“Okay, yeah. Sure. There are… worse jobs to have. Just… no more surprises, please?”

 

Zifeara and Mal looked at each other for a second, clearly trying to decide what counted as a surprise.

 

_“Uh, I don’t think there’s anything else really. Nothing on the same scale, yeah Mal?”_

 

 _“Let’s be honest, probably. But I have no idea right now.”_ She shrugged. _“Look on the bright side though, if you get kidnapped again now we can skip the whole subtle nonsense and just blow up everything between us and you.”_

 

 _“Yeah, that’s good. Think of it this way: I have a lot of people who like me and around here we protect what’s ours. You’re never going to be in trouble again so long as we’re together because I_ **_actually_ ** _can bring the wrath of Hell down on anyone who fucks with you. And I don’t just mean coming over there myself. Napalm isn’t pretty when you’re the one on fire.”_

 

That was romantic in the strangest way. He must be insane; feeling safe because he had scary friends who were at best not living by the law, at worst psychotic. Well, at least the insane asylum had a nice view. Maybe he could glaze over all of this for now and just meet his girlfriend’s best friend and call it a day. A nice day. That was totally normal and nothing weird happened.

 

“I… Sure. I can look at it that way. What do you do when you aren’t being a criminal, Mal?”

 

 _“Uhhhh….explore I guess? Define ‘not criminal’?”_ She shook her head. _“Forget it. I’m a one trick pony. I live here, I work here. And if I’m not here I’m doing something that usually involves pretending to be Lara Croft or Indiana Jones.”_

 

Well, so much for trying to be sociable. He could say he made an attempt.

 

_“Mal lives for being a thief. She was raised as one, she will die as one. She plays a rogue in our LOLOL group she likes it so much.”_

 

Somehow the rest of their conversation was somewhat normal, though every once in awhile, Malaya would say something either odd or that Zifeara shot her a look for that he didn’t quite understand. Either they really had just been friends for forever and had inside jokes or they were talking about something right in front of him that he missed. Either way, Yoosung couldn’t say he didn’t like Mal. She was… interesting. That was a nice way of putting it. She asked him questions that were easy enough to answer but not too personal and they stayed for probably a good half hour before Zifeara excused them and told Malaya to get back to work.

The way back to the car was quiet as he tried to process more thoroughly everything he had just learned. All in all, it wasn’t so bad what Zifeara did… right? Sure she was basically part of a tiny Mafia, but she was just the decoy and maybe indulged in petty thievery from time to time. He could live with that. He was already so enamored with her that he had risked his own life to save hers, so in the grand scheme of things, this wasn’t that big. No matter what she did for a living, Zifeara was absolutely and without question the best thing to ever happen to him. This changed nothing.

 

_“You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?”_

 

Yoosung had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that when he snapped his head up at the sudden question, he saw they were already back to Zifeara’s house. He had been quietly thinking for a very long time. She still had her hands on the wheel even though the car was off, looking intently at her lap. She didn’t quite look upset, but she wasn’t okay either.

 

“What? No, of course not, why would I want to do that? I’m sorry, I was just letting all of what you and Malaya told me sink in. I’ve… hahaha, I’ve never been in such a situation before.”

 

She still had that look and she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

 

“Zifeara, I am not breaking up with you, I promise. What you do for a living has nothing to do with the fact that I love you. So far… there’s not a thing I would change about you for the whole world and there probably never will be. Okay?”

 

She slowly raised her deep purple eyes to his and he recognized the same hurt in them from when he had asked about why she hadn’t told him she was rich.

 

“Someone else has before though, haven’t they?”

 

She gave that morose smile of hers, releasing her hold on the wheel and settling her hands in her lap, nervously playing with her fingers.

 

_“No. No one outside the Underground has ever known about it before. I’ve never told anyone else about my… problem job. They just think I draw and live comfortably off an inheritance. My aunt owned a lot of property and I get income from that too, but I don’t manage it directly. So there I am; part time artist, part time crook.”_

 

“Full time Dragon.”

 

Zifeara looked surprised for a second before giving a short laugh, tension easing out of her but not dispelling.

 

 _“Yes, definitely. It’s… weird having someone else know. Obviously Seven was the first to find out because of Mint Eye, but considering his occupation… You’re the first_ **_civilian_ ** _I’ve told and if I’m honest… I didn’t expect you to want to stay.”_

 

“Hey. I might not be a cool hacker like Seven or an impressive business man like Jumin, but I am starting to be very adaptable. My life is so normal that there has to be something crazy going on around me or everything is boring, right? I’ll take you being a criminal and call it done. That’s all the excitement I need. So long as you promise to be careful, I won’t make a fuss about it. Let’s go inside and I’ll get that pizza I owe you, alright?”

 

Now she did smile. Zifeara let her shoulders drop and nodded, getting out and heading to the front door. This time he took _her_ hand and grinned as her smile widened. They got inside, removed their shoes, and moved to sit on the couch, all still while holding hands. Yoosung felt like he was just imagining this, but there was something to the way she was holding on right now that made him feel like she was up to something. It didn’t feel bad, it just felt like… a new aura between them. Everything clicked for him the second she pushed him down onto the couch.

 

Zifeara hadn’t expected Yoosung to take finding out about her dirty little secret so well, much the less be so… reassuring about it. No guy she’d ever been with even got close to finding out where it was she often went at weird hours of the night, so she had been insanely nervous to tell him. Albeit, she would have been quick to point out that she took everything bad that he had put forth in the past week pretty well, but was glad that proved to be unnecessary. Now there was only one thing she was thinking of.

The blonde was confused of course when once she got him in front of the couch, she placed a hand on his chest and pushed down, roughly making him sit, but that was short lived. Zifeara straddled his hips, taking his face in both her hands and using the surprised gasp he let out to her advantage. She pressed her lips firmly to his, resisting the urge to smile at the muffled sound of pleasure he made. Yoosung hesitantly rested his hands on her waist, softly squeezing as she gently moved against him. He had never kissed her more than once at a time and briefly on all accounts, so she’d have to teach him. He wasn’t doing too badly and seemed to be a quick learner, so she allowed them to break apart just long enough. Zifeara could feel his face heating up and she wanted to see how far she could take this till she embarrassed him enough to tell her. Her lips brushed against his as she spoke.

 

“Mmm, you’re so sweet~”

 

_“I-I uh, is t-there a reason why y-you’re…?”_

 

“Hmm? Do I need a reason to kiss my super cute, loving boyfriend?”

 

This look on his face was _magical_ . It was caught in between too flustered to function and panicking because he now had a woman so attractive she used it as a _weapon_ legitimately on top of him. He tried again.

 

_“N-no, but w-why are you um, uh, sitting this way?”_

 

“Because I’m particularly happy right now. Would you like me to move?”

 

_“No! N-no… not, not yet.”_

 

“Haha, didn’t think so~”

 

Zifeara kissed him again, this time receiving no hesitation before he kissed back. It was only a minute or two before she sort of forgot who she was dealing with. She ran her tongue lightly over Yoosung’s bottom lip, delighting in the shudder that rippled up his spine, making him instinctively run one of his hands up her back. He made another happy sound before he hit something he wasn’t expecting. Running his fingers over whatever it was he was touching, the blonde broke their kiss just enough to talk.

 

_“Zi-Zifeara? What is this?”_

 

She grinned, giving him one more peck before she answered, noticing the way he swallowed hard.

 

“My other knife.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, this is finally done. I rewrote this chapter a few times, so it took forever to put out T_T Next chapter will be a little ahead in time, just so ya know.


	19. When The Past Comes To Haunt Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skipping through some adjustment time, Yoosung and Zifeara have been together for a bit over a month now and as per usual, there's always more to learn about our favorite vixen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is another one of those 'bridge to the next chapter' chapters of some things I thought were important between the last bit and the next one. Ya'll are in for a real treat next chapter ;3
> 
> Also, you'll need this for a ringtone later: [Of The Night](https://youtu.be/vXptzKluBLc)  
> by Bastille and I love that song. The chorus of this song is the ringtone, just fyi :3

Yoosung sighed. Today had already been a busy one and it didn't look like it was letting up. Somehow two weeks had flown by like they were nothing and now there was a monumental list of things he had to accomplish before he returned to school tomorrow. At the beginning of his little unplanned vacation, he had gotten a note from his doctor to deliver to the head of the college so that they could work something out for his absence, meaning he wouldn't be penalized for not attending his classes while still allowing him to obtain class material in advance so that he could keep up at home. He had been doing assignments and was all caught up, so that was no problem. Zifeara had also taken him to the doctor this morning to make sure everything was alright with his eye, which it had been, so they scheduled him his first corrective surgery for next month. After that they dropped off his prescription for the glasses he'd need and spent forever trying to find frames that didn't look stupid on his face. Once _that_ was done, she had taken him shopping so that they could, as she put it, ‘catify’ his room to prepare for bringing Lisa home. It was decided that he'd try his best to raise her and if he had problems they'd move her to Zifeara’s house. They even picked a collar and nametag out for her, which was where the only major conflict of the past two weeks had arisen; Zifeara hated the cat’s name. She didn't like giving animals people names and he didn't really want to change it since he'd gotten sort of attached to the cat with that name. So they compromised; now the kitten's full name was Princess Lissara, pronounced lee-sar-ah and she'd just be Lisa for short. Zifeara had dropped him off at his apartment and helped him get everything into his room before giving him a kiss and leaving, returning him to his natural habitat. Alone. After spending two weeks living with her it felt sort of empty to be back here and know she wouldn't be popping out of the bathroom to come to bed with him. Yoosung had just finished getting ready to sleep since he had to get up early for class, but… he already missed her. There was something strangely comforting about having Zifeara pressed to him at night and now everything felt cold without her. This was stupid. She was going to laugh at him. He called her before he could talk himself out of it.

 

_“Yoosung, are you okay, honey? You should be going to bed soon, right?”_

 

“Yeah, I was about to, but… I can't sleep. I um… I miss you.”

 

He was really expecting to hear her joyful giggling, but instead was met with a sigh.

 

_“Yeah, I know what you mean. It feels kinda weird to sleep without you here too. I got pretty used to it really fast.”_

 

“You did? Aw, now I wish I was still there… but your house is further from my campus than mine is.”

 

_“Plus you’d never focus on your schoolwork if you lived here.”_

 

“What makes you think that?”

 

 _“Haha, because_ **_I_ ** _live here, Yoosung. Until you get more used to having a girlfriend at all, I'm a distraction! We’ll just have to hang out a lot in between your classes and stuff to make up for it. So long as you get your homework done first, I'll come over whenever you want~ Besides, you’ll have Lisarra to keep you company soon at least.”_

 

“Sure, but a cat is no comparison to you. She's cute and cuddly yeah, but still…”

 

 _“Stop making it sound like you'll never see me again. We're_ **_dating_ ** _Yoosung, I'll definitely want to see you all the time. Besides, if nothing else, I'm always a phone call away. I'm not going to vanish into thin air~”_

 

“Are you sure? Because with my luck, you just might, hehe.”

 

_“Oh hush. I will not, promise. Now get some sleep, you have to be up at a reasonable time tomorrow.”_

 

“Yeah, okay. I’ll text you at lunch?”

 

_“I can't wait~ Goodnight, puppy. Love you.”_

 

Oh geez, he'd forgotten about that already. As much as he had protested the nickname, there was something about it that… gave him a feeling he didn't know what to do with.

 

“Love you too…”

 

This was going to be hard. After two weeks of being spoiled by having Zifeara around, now he had to go periods of time without seeing her at all. But he had to focus; he had promised her he would start doing really well in all of his classes and he couldn’t disappoint. If he did she would certainly break up with him. In fact, that night he had a nightmare where she did just that.

 

Despite the rocky start to the morning, his classes weren’t that bad. Neither was having glasses, honestly. The only downside was that now he _really_ had to avoid the two boys who typically were his least favorite people to see. If they thought he was a nerd before, the glasses wouldn’t help. When lunch rolled around, he spent the entire time texting his girlfriend as promised, even catching the messenger busy again. They were having an RFA meeting soon to tell everyone what had happened at Mint Eye… and why V was nowhere to be found again. Seven couldn’t be pressed for a date since there was one more thing he needed to be positive of and… he had to get Saeran settled in. The younger Choi was going home tomorrow. Yoosung felt the familiar itch of jealousy when Zifeara said if the twins needed anything to call her, but that was quickly dismissed. The RFA was family and that’s what you do for family.

 

This week he was extra diligent about getting his homework done. Zifeara made good on her word to come over once that was completed, though she wouldn’t stay the night if he had school in the morning. All in all, things were going again. Sure there were days that ended in a blanket burrito with tears streaming down his face and he couldn’t for the life of him tell Zifeara what had set him off, but she told him that was normal. Normal for all the physical and especially the emotional trauma he’d been through. And he felt better afterwards. Things were falling into a rhythm and before long… he felt better all the time. For the most part.

 

***

 

_“Listen… Do you want to see why I can’t meet you after school right away on Thursdays? I go to a place that isn’t too far away from your campus and there’s… somebody I’d really like you to meet.”_

 

Well this was new. As much as Zifeara told him everything she did as they’d agreed upon when they started dating, Thursdays were still a bit of a mystery. She had told him she was scheduled for gym time with friends, but that sounded… ominous.

 

“I thought you went to the gym?”

 

_“Oh I do, but I bet it isn’t what you’re expecting. How about it? Wanna meet me there?”_

 

He would never not be interested in something she did. That and maybe… well no, he could definitely use to start working out. Maybe this would get him into it and it would be fun.

 

“Yeah, definitely! Just tell me where and I’ll come by right after class gets out.”

 

_“Awesome. Don’t be intimidated, it’ll seem scary at first but I promise it’ll be fine. See you Thursday!”_

 

Speaking of ominous… She hung up and that just left him time to think. Maybe her gym was like where he always imagined Zen going; a place where absolutely everyone was super fit and buff and could probably snap him in half. As much as Yoosung wanted to think that was what she meant… he was starting to stop expecting anything normal from Zifeara. Maybe her gym was full of all sorts of people who did what she did, so half the building were certified killers and the other half were their support crew. Both scenarios were equally as likely. He had two days to wait and see which one it would be. His phone roared.

 

**From Zifeara**

**You’re gonna meet me at the Silver Moon fitness center. It’s three blocks west of your campus, just walk right in and I’m pretty sure you’ll spot or at least hear me. See ya then <3**

 

Ominus. And yet fairly exciting.

 

Class was out early and by early, that meant Yoosung had skipped the last 15 minutes. They were going over the results of their last test so that it could be used to study for their finals later, but he had aced the last two pages, so he really didn’t need the review. He had somewhere much more interesting to be today. Practically sprinting the longest three blocks of his life, the blonde stopped in front of what could only be described as the most traditionally Japanese building he had ever seen that wasn’t a restaurant or a dojo. The ‘silver moon’ the place was named after was inside a dragon’s mouth. Zifeara was right; this already was not what he was picturing.

Taking a deep breath, Yoosung pulled open the heavy wooden door and entered, shyly waving at the man behind the reception counter. The man bowed and asked what it was he was here for to which the only reply he could give was ‘Zifeara?’. The man raised an eyebrow, but pointed down a hallway lined with sliding screen doors, aiming at one particularly far down. Once he had almost reached the open screen he’d been directed to, Yoosung heard his favorite sound; Zifeara was laughing. She was definitely in there. And based on the other laughter he heard, she wasn’t alone. Peeking into the room, the blonde was not thrilled with what he saw. Probably one of the tallest men he’d ever seen was looming over Zifeara, face inches from hers and fuming. Yoosung couldn’t decide whether the worst part was how mad he seemed or how attractive he was. The guy had coal black hair that seemed to be a controlled mess, which only brought out the stunning shade of ruby in his eyes. He had eyes like Zen, but so bright they almost _glowed_. He also didn’t have a shirt on, making it terribly obvious how completely well toned he was even though he appeared almost lanky from his height. The decidedly worst part was the next thing out of Zifeara’s mouth.

 

_“Aw, whatsa matter honey, you gonna cry?”_

 

 **_Honey?!_ ** Who in the _Hell_ got any such endearment besides _him_? The guy made a face that could only be described as half sneering half righteous anger.

 

 _“Like Hell I am. That wasn’t fair and you_ **_know_ ** _it, Zifeara. That’s bullshit, I should have won that.”_

 

Zifeara laughed again, not backing down nor away from the guy. _“Hun, all’s fair in love and war, and if I don’t fight every time like I’m at war, then how does practicing make me any better? I always hit you like you’re going to kill me and I_ **_always_ ** _have. Besides, you haven’t won anything since you almost broke my nose in the_ **_fourth grade_ ** _. So no, you didn’t. Quit your bitching.”_

 

He didn’t seem to have a good argument for that and the other, very… familiar laughter came from somewhere else in the room again. Followed by a voice Yoosung definitely knew. Malaya. _“She’s got you there. You never beat Zifeara. And you know it.”_

 

The guy opened his mouth and closed it again, narrowing his eyes at Zifeara’s widening and smug smile. _“I- you’re- I never hit you as hard as I should_ **_because_ ** _I almost broke your nose and you use that to your advantage. You bitch.”_

 

As much as Yoosung wanted to come to her defense, Zifeara simply shifted her weight to one side, placing the hands of her formerly crossed arms on her hips. _“No shit, Sherlock. Wouldn’t you choose to win if you_ **_could_ ** _?”_

 

That was the winning point. The guy couldn’t seem to close his mouth at all this time. _“Fuck you.”_

 

Zifeara’s strong point was witty retorts, but this seemed to just be vindictive. _“You wish. Now get your adorably pouty face outta mine before I make you. It’s Mal’s turn.”_

 

 _“Make me, huh?”_ The guy adopted a new, more mischievous smirk that made Zifeara raise an eyebrow at him. _“You and what army, Zia? I know exactly where-”_ He ducked and dropped all his weight into her, bringing them both to the floor. She clearly hadn’t been expecting it, making it easy for him to at least mostly pin her arms and legs to one place. He managed to get one hand in between himself and her torso and it was chaos from there. _“-you’re the most ticklish! Have at you, witch!”_

 

Yoosung didn’t think he had ever heard hardly anyone shriek like that, but Zifeara was suddenly nothing but shrill sounds and laughter. She didn’t seem to be able to properly defend herself either considering she was quickly becoming out of breath. This was ridiculous. And he was really, really itchy. He had no idea when he’d entered the room all the way, but he was practically hovering over his girlfriend and her _companion_ before they noticed him. Malaya somewhat helped matters by being the first to even greet him. _“Hiya, Paladin! You’re early.”_

 

“Yeah, I am. So early I feel like I might be _interrupting something_.”

 

Zifeara was trying to get her breath back but hadn’t quite managed yet, still trying to stop laughing as she was doing her best to push the guy who looked like he outweighed her by at least 60 pounds upright. _“Haha, ah, ah, hey babe. Ha, don’t look at me like that, hahaha. There are a few very good reasons I didn’t exactly tell you what I do on Thursdays and this jackass is one of them. Speaking of, get_ **_up_ ** _, loser. You’re heavy.”_

 

The guy hadn’t stopped glaring at Yoosung since the second he walked in, but he did as Zifeara asked, also grabbing her shoulders to stand her up too. Seeing him at his full height close up, the blonde would bet this guy had a solid half a foot or more on him. Now that he sounded slightly less irritated, his voice was even nice too. _“Huh, he’s not what I pictured at all. He’s what you described yeah, but still. He’s shorter than I thought.”_

 

This dude was reminding him _way_ too much of Zen. Yoosung almost opened his mouth to make some snide comment or another, but didn’t get the chance before Zifeara smacked the guy on the arm. _“Hey, I told you to be nice, asshole. What are you, a child? He doesn’t even know who you are and you’re already pissing me off. Now behave like a normal person, I still have to get to Mal before dinner. Don’t make me regret introducing you, you know I could have made you wait longer.”_

 

The tall guy looked almost… embarrassed at being told off, so much so that he sighed and scratched the back of his head. _“Yeah… I’m sorry, Zia, but you know what happened the last time you had me meet a guy you-”_

 

She smacked him again. _“Shut up! Be. Nice.”_

 

He rolled his red eyes, bringing them to meet Yoosung’s. He sighed and then smiled, extending his left hand. _“Kai Yorusutoka. Really prefer Fang.”_

 

 _Oh_. This… made a lot of sense. Yoosung lost pretty much all of his angry tension, becoming a bit sheepish. “Y-Yoosung Kim.”

 

Zifeara gave a single nod before turning to their other friend. _“Alright, Gremlin, let’s go. I’ve only got a few rounds in me today since_ **_someone_ ** _decided to be a butt. And that someone better keep behaving or there will be Hell to pay.”_ She stepped forward to the center of the room and Mal joined her, stretching slightly.

 

Yoosung and Fang took over the bench the smaller girl had been on, watching the other two get ready to throw down. Fang was the first one to talk. _“So what is it that you do? Zia told me you’re in college, but what for?”_

 

The blonde looked to the other boy, sort of impressed. He was smiling and seemed to have lost any hostility from a moment ago. He was either really good at acting or really was just wary of any guy around Zifeara. Which was fair enough. “Oh, uhm, I’m studying to be a veterinarian. I... really like animals. What, what is it that you do?”

 

 _“A bit of this, bit of that. I’m sure you’ve seen those townhouses down the street from Zia’s house?”_ Yoosung nodded and Fang continued, _“I own those. Well, my mom did and she left them to me. That’s most of my income and then I have a day job just for fun. Hahaha, well actually, my day job is a night job. Ever been to The Wave?”_ Yoosung shook his head. _“It’s a nightclub downtown. I DJ there. When I’m not working at The Black Market. Know what I do there?”_

 

The blonde again shook his head. He had only met 3 members of the Sun Underground and he was dating one of them. Realistically, he wasn’t even sure what the Underground did as a whole, not entirely. Fang grinned. _“Wow, Zifeara really never talks about me, does she?”_

 

“That- that’s probably my fault. I uh, I was kinda… suspicious, I guess, that she had a male best friend. I’ve never known a girl who did where it… stayed that way.”

 

He could swear the other boy’s eyes glinted. Now this was more like Seven. _“Protective, huh? I can respect that. Do you have siblings, Yoosung?”_

 

“Uh, yeah, I have a sister. Older sister.”

 

 _“Perfect. You would do anything for your sister, wouldn’t you? You are her brother after all.”_ He didn’t like where this was going, but nodded slowly. Of course he would. Yoosung loved his sister. Fang was now making full use of his height, practically looming over the blonde and lowering his voice. _“So would I. Zifeara_ **_is_ ** _my sister and she’s been through a lot. In general, recently, both. You know what I do for the Underground? Mostly I’m a tech geek; I make the computers work, I build gadgets and stuff, I help run surveillance. No one does only one thing in the Underground. My other specialty is sharpshooting at close range. Pistols. You do_ **_anything_ ** _to hurt my_ **_sister_ ** _and I will prove how easy it is to put a bullet to every one of your organs before you die of either blood loss or shock. Best part is, I can cover it up too. They train us for that. Do you understand, Yoosung? You may be the Paladin, but when Zifeara is concerned, I’m the whole goddamn_ **_army_ ** _. Are we good?”_

 

He really hoped he didn’t look as scared as he felt. It wasn’t just that Kai was an intimidating person, it was that everything he had said he probably could actually do. The Sun Underground were all criminals, so for them, murder was likely childsplay. He managed to nod solemnly. Fang had been smiling the entire time, but it had been as dark as his threats. Now it seemed a bit more relaxed and genuine. He almost said something else, but Zifeara came skidding across the floor on her back, landing her right under them. Looking up at them and rubbing her jaw, she smiled before becoming concerned. _“You okay, Yoosung? You look kinda pale.”_

 

He stammered out the first thing he could think of. “Y-yeah, are- are you alright?” She chuckled and stood up. _“Oh yeah. Mal’s doing well this week. This was the other reason I didn’t tell you what I get up to. It’s a very contact sport. Pardon me, not done yet.”_ And with that she launched herself back at her friend.

 

 _“Don’t worry, we don’t really hurt each other that often.”_ Fang was looking at him again, but his aura was generally lighter. He really had been terrifying for just the one moment. _“Considering we like each other and it would hinder work, we try to avoid injuries if we can. Plus those two are so evenly matched it’s scary. Mal’s tiny, but she fights like a fucking Tasmanian Devil.”_

 

If that was supposed to make him feel better, it didn’t. Now Yoosung was actually paying attention to what Zifeara was doing since he and Fang apparently had no issues anymore. It was beyond nerve-wracking to watch two people try their hardest to hit each other however they could, but it was a million times worse when you loved one of those people. Fang seemed pretty unfazed by all of it besides swearing under his breath once in awhile when someone got a good hit in, but that seemed fair considering he’d been the one getting kicked a little while ago.

 

It was a good half hour before both girls stopped and called it quits. They decided Mal had won this time and that they’d skip dinner together this week since Michael had something else for her to do. Fang on the other hand, would _love_ to do dinner. Because of course he would. As they were leaving to figure out what they wanted to eat, Fang said something to the guy at the desk in a language that Yoosung couldn’t place. He’d have to ask about it later.

They all agreed on the ramen place around the corner and settled in, at least having a normal conversation while they waited for food. As it turned out, Kai was pretty cool when he wasn’t in overprotective mode. He gamed a lot just like Zifeara did, watched cartoons and anime, built all sorts of weird stuff for the Underground.

 

“Hey, that reminds me, what did you say to the guy at the desk before we left your gym? You speak more than Korean too?”

 

Fang and Zifeara exchanged a quick look before he answered. _“Well, yeah. Did you notice how, uh, not Korean our gym is? I speak Japanese too. So does she. She made me learn with her.”_

 

Zifeara shrugged as Yoosung gaped at her, but nudged Fang with her elbow. _“You should know Japanese. You’re fucking Japanese.”_ He scoffed at her. _“Excuse you,_ **_I’m_ ** _Korean. My grandparents are Japanese.”_

 

Yoosung had sort of been wondering where Fang got his looks from, but Zifeara continued. _“Yeah both sets of grandparents and your parents were born in Japan. You’re Japanese like I’m American. My parents weren’t from America but that doesn’t make me English, dipshit. Or Scottish.”_ Fang threw his hands up. _“You were_ **_born in Korea!_ ** _We both were! We’re Korean!”_

 

The blonde just barely suppressed his snickering. Now he could see them as siblings. They definitely argued like they were related. It made him relax a little; they looked a lot like him and his sister. They argued well into getting their food and even talked with their mouths full just to make sure there was no lull in their point so the other was winning. It was strange; as much as seeing them like this put him at ease, it also made Yoosung… sad almost. He had never seen Zifeara so relaxed and open, not even around him. She trusted Kai completely. He hadn’t earned this sort of trust yet. The world was blurry out of his left eye and she was still more comfortable around someone else. He almost smacked himself. Zifeara had known Kai almost her entire life, of course she was truly herself with him. He was family.

 

 _“Yoosung? You okay? You’ve been really quiet.”_ Zifeara was looking at him with a slight tilt to her head. And she thought he looked like a puppy. “Huh? Yeah, of course, I was just enjoying watching you two. You really do sound like siblings right now, hehe.”

 

They both looked at each other simultaneously and smiled. Fang quickly ruffled Zifeara’s hair, making her swat his hand away. _“That’s because we might as well be. You don’t know someone for twenty years and act like just friends still. She’s always been my annoying little sister.”_

 

 _“Yeah, and you’ve always been my dumb big brother. Who I can toss over my shoulder like a sack of geeky potatoes.”_ Zifeara just shook her head and finished her food. Yoosung laughed. Oh yeah, he didn’t have to worry about her having a male best friend anymore. They were too good at being siblings to be anything else.

 

***

 

Yoosung stared in amazement as Zifeara flipped the butterfly knife around her fingers nimbly and swiftly, displaying an aptitude he was unaware she had. She wasn't looking at it either, just _feeling_ it move.

 

 _“Hmmm… It’s really pretty and I like it, but the balance is off. If I end up getting it, I'll need to give it to Fang so he can mess with the weight distribution for me. It has a dragon on it though, and I_ **_love_ ** _that…”_

 

They had stopped in this shop on the way to pick up his newest glasses and at first the blonde had been confused. Then he remembered that Zifeara didn't have a typical set of friends and even stranger hobbies. Of course she wanted to look at all the weapons that seemed terrifying enough to be more for show than practicality. That's when she found the intricate knife, the best of both design and functionality and started obsessing over having a ‘signature weapon’. Yoosung thought it funny, but was always a little shocked when he found out something new about the duality of her life. She always seemed so sweet and quirky around him and then she'd have moments like this where her eyes darkened and she became someone else entirely; a calculated killer. He wouldn't have traded her for anyone in the world.

 

“Well I think it's cool.”

 

_“Yeah? I do too. I'm having this, balance or no. Fang can fix this pretty quick, I bet. When are you going to let me buy you a knife and teach you how to use it?”_

 

“Hahaha, when I'm convinced I need to. I really don't feel like it's necessary…”

 

Zifeara paid for her knife as people came and went in the shop and he looked at neat replica medieval spears while she finished her business, holding her bag for her so she could have both hands. He thought she was going to take a second look at a new sword for her collection, but he felt a hand wrap around his wrist and his girlfriend's voice was low and urgent in his ear.

 

_“We need to go. Now.”_

 

Yoosung turned to her, only to be met with something he'd never seen cross Zifeara's face before: fear. True, actual fear. He could see her chest rise and fall subtly but quickly, far faster than was normal and she pushed against him to get him to move towards the exit.

 

“What's the matter? Why are you so-”

 

 _“Yoosung,_ **_please_ ** _.”_

 

Well shit, there must be a demon in here and they _did_ need to leave. That tone was the ‘don’t question me right now and do as you're told’ tone and he knew better by now. They'd made it about three steps towards the door before an unfamiliar voice hit them, making Zifeara flinch as if she's been stung by a bee.

 

_“Zifeara?”_

 

She had her eyes shut tight, head down and grip tightening on his wrist. Steeling herself. Whoever had addressed her was clearly the problem. She took a deep breath and looked up, mouth forming a half grimace half grin. She turned around.

 

_“I'll be damned. Zifeara Nightshade.”_

 

_“Couldn't leave it alone, could you? I've managed to be happy all this time and then here you are.”_

 

The man she was talking to was a good four inches taller than Yoosung was, his short blue-black hair making his amber eyes stand out. This guy was pretty built, much in the same sort of way Zen was, his tank top showing off the plentiful muscle in his arms.

 

_“Aw, Zifeara, don't be that way! It's been so long and that's the greeting I get? I bet you missed me.”_

 

Zifeara looked disgusted, but her grin never faltered. Yoosung finally recognized the look she had on her face; he had seen dogs snarl at things threatening them this way before.

 

_“I missed you like you probably missed the fissure in your skull. Now if you'll excuse me, I was about to leave and live the rest of my life gratefully without you.”_

 

Everything clicked into place. The way Zifeara openly hated this guy, how reluctant she was to be anywhere near him, the way her free hand was clenched into a fist but was shaking, how he _scared her_. All the blonde could think of was their first date. How badly she didn't want to talk about her ex. This was him. This asshole was scaring his Dragon of all people. This asshole was dead the second he tried anything.

The guy took one step towards them and Yoosung didn't even think before he put himself between this creep and Zifeara. Captain Asshat had nothing on Saeran. The guy stepped forward till he was about five inches away and scoffed.

 

 _“And_ **_what_ ** _is_ **_this_ ** _?”_

 

He looked Yoosung up and down skeptically before taking another few steps. He was towering over her blonde, even with only a few inches on him, purely due to his weight. Something snapped. Zifeara pulled her boyfriend backwards, now placing herself in the guy’s face, venom dripping from her voice.

 

“ _This_ is my _boyfriend_ , Korain, and as you can see I upgraded. Now. Fuck. Off.”

 

He openly laughed, loudly and deeply.

 

 _“_ **_Upgraded_ ** _? This kid is tiny! If you missed me that much that you'll screw anyone, I might take you back. If you beg enough.”_

 

Her smile widened. She could feel Yoosung behind her trying to move back around her to come to her defence, but she had a strong grasp on his wrist, anchoring him in place. She started this fight almost a year ago and she was going to finish it now.

 

“Yeah, upgraded. There isn't enough money in the world for me to put up with you ever again, so go find a nice quiet _ditch_ to die in.”

 

 _“Sugar, how is this scraggly geek any better than_ **_me_ ** _? Don't lie to yourself, we were great together.”_

 

“Since I'd rather be anywhere than where you are, I'll give you the _short_ list; he's cuter than you, smarter than you, funnier than you, waaaaaay nicer than you, actually _gives a shit about me_ , is endlessly considerate, has a future unlike you, my friends actually like _him_ , and he's much better in bed than you. The long list would take me all day. Now aren't you violating some sort of _order?_ One of a restraining nature?”

 

Korain wasn't the only one in the shop whose mouth was hanging open. Zifeara took that opportunity to spin on her heel and make for the door, dragging Yoosung with her the one or two steps it took for him to snap back to attention. She looked over her shoulder once or twice, just to make sure they weren’t being followed on the way back to the car. She needed a minute or 30 to relax, so there was no way they were getting Yoosung’s glasses just yet. Speaking of…

Yoosung was well keeping up with the rapid pace she was moving at, silent and eyes forward, just as focused on where they were going as she was. That was one of the many things she had come to love about him in the nearly two months they’d been dating; how quickly he had learned to wait for her to explain something when it was clear she didn’t want to have a discussion at the moment. She knew she would have to tell him everything after this, even if he said it could be put off longer. First they had to get out of here; Zifeara was a ticking time bomb and she knew it. They made it to the car without any trouble, getting in and locking the doors.

Immediately, Yoosung leaned over from his seat to hold her, still not saying a word but softly stroking her hair and knowing if she didn’t want him to do that, she’d push him away. If she had felt less safe around the blonde she might have, but it only made her fall apart faster. Zifeara let go, starting to hyperventilate. She hated when she got like this, especially since it had been such a long time. Deep down she knew this shouldn’t scare her as much as it did considering what she did for a living, but it was just one of those things she couldn’t explain and couldn’t control. She gripped onto Yoosung’s hoodie, scared she’d hurt him if she let her hands remain loose. She had a habit of flailing in her panic attacks since sometimes she lost some of her vision and forgot where she was. She regretted letting it pour out before she had given him any indication of what was happening.

Zifeara was never sure how long these things lasted, nor how bad they would be. The last time she’d done this, she had been by herself at home and caught a scent that smelled almost exactly like Korain, causing her to race through the house making sure everything was still locked before arming herself with one of her guns and building a fortress in her room. She couldn’t move for nearly 2 hours once that attack hit, but that had only been a couple of months since the incident. Now at least she could still see, but everything sounded like she’d just been shelled. She could barely hear her own quick breaths, unable to tell if she was crying or not or if Yoosung was trying to say something to her. All she knew was that his hold on her was gentle; light enough that she could very easily get away if she wanted to. That was probably the only thing really keeping her from getting worse.

As per usual, Zifeara wasn’t sure how much time had passed before she started to calm down, but neither she nor her boyfriend had moved at all. He must have felt her breathing return to at least something similar to normal. His head was still pressed up against hers and he still didn’t move an inch when he softly spoke.

 

_“Are you going to be okay now? We don’t have to move if you aren’t ready yet; I’ve been looking around and I haven’t seen that guy anywhere.”_

 

Oh bless him. Just thinking about what he would have done if Korain had showed up made Zifeara smile despite her unease; it would have been like throwing a duckling at a hyena and expecting the bird to win. It was the thought that counted. Also good to know he could be put in the ‘small and ready to fight’ category of people she knew, just like Mal but a million times less effective.

 

“Y-yeah, I'm sorry; I've been avoiding t-talking about this for a while now, but I-I guess it's time you knew…”

 

_“Hey.”_

 

Yoosung move back a little, turning her face towards him and comfortingly stroking her jaw.

 

_“I told you, take as long as you need to feel alright telling me about it. All I need to know right now is that if whoever that was comes anywhere near you again, he’ll have to get through me first.”_

 

“Hahahaha, thank you honey, but I will point out that now would be a great time to learn how to use that knife I mentioned earlier. I don't think you can take Korain armed only with sheer force of will and anger. He hits like a truck.”

 

Realizing what she had said, Zifeara brought her hand to her mouth, watching as the blonde’s eyes widened and his whole body grew ridgid.

 

 _“He_ **_what_ ** _?”_

 

“Oh Hell, I didn't… Listen, we'll come back for your glasses later, right now let's just get to the Black Market; now that this has happened, I need to see Mal and ask Seven for a favor. Once I've got things sorted, I'll tell you what's going on, I promise. I just feel like a sitting duck out here.”

 

She moved Yoosung off her, grabbed her keys, and started the car, heading towards the safest fortress known to man. Not only was the Black Market well armed and guarded but Zifeara had never even told her ex about the place so there was no way he'd show up there. The drive was thankfully silent, tension heavy in the air as she thought about how best to explain one of the worst decisions in her life. Upon arriving, she informed Kumo that she would need more than just a corner and asked for the secret bookshelf to be opened so that they could go downstairs and have a _room_.

Leading the way down into the inner workings of the Sun Underground, Zifeara turned this way and that till she hit what was essentially a small lounge, usually where those working long hours set up temporary beds on the floor for a nap. Or had way too many cups of coffee at the table. Sitting down, she pulled her phone out and text Malaya one simple sentence: “Full moon’s out, better melt the silver.” The best part of your closest friend being a secret crime boss and completely ridiculous was that there was a code for everything. Her phone cawed, indicating a response before she could even look at Yoosung to explain. “That time already? Did you get some wolfsbane yet?” “Yeah, picked some up at the Black Market. Now I just need to warn Kai. You know how he is with wolves :P” No one would ever know what they were talking about and it was great. That was the easy part done. The blonde was still mercifully quiet, looking at her with concern but being every bit as patient as he said he would be.

 

“Alright, Yoosung. This isn't… an easy tale to tell, but you deserve to know now. Even if you say it can wait, it can't. Korain is a sociopath and you could be on his shit list now. Once upon about a year ago, I… I was dating that miserable excuse for a human being. I know, I know, poor choice in judgement. I wasn't looking for a relationship, but he was so… Korain fawned over me like no man I'd ever known before; you would think I was the queen of some country or another with the way he treated me. I was on a golden pedestal to him. He made me feel as though I _was_ Aphrodite herself. He convinced me to date him and that's where I went wrong. Two days in and he started changing. He altered the way he talked to me in tiny increments, designing every other thing he said to make me question my worth and seek his approval. I recognized it so fast because of what I do, but it took me a while to believe it was true. Enough was enough when he got pissed at me for hanging out with Fang without telling him. Korain didn't like me talking to other guys at all, but he despised Fang. I went to kick him out of my house, hopefully snap him out of being such an asshole, but… he wasn't having that. He only hit me once. Then he laughed and told me he ‘knew what would fix me’ before grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards the stairs.”

 

Zifeara knew she was shaking slightly, mostly out of anger, but there was always fear in those memories. She didn't miss how Yoosung’s eyes were wide with horror, nor how he had his fists balled on the table, but she didn't want to give him time to worry.

 

“There was no way in Hell a man was getting the better of me; not in _that_ way, not in _any_ way. I grabbed a vase off a table and shattered it over his head. I hit him so hard he had a concussion. I knew Kai was home, so I went over and stayed with him. After talking to the police and whatever, I was catatonic for about 9 hours. Then I had my first panic attack when Fang tried to pick me up off his couch to put me to bed. He was lucky he had just gotten a puppy. Lazarus helped me calm down faster than if poor Fang had just been on his own. Korain pressed charges and tried to get me in all sorts of legal trouble because he had a great ‘I’m the victim’ act, but with the friends I have, there are no records of anything except a restraining order with his name clearly on it. He could care less, though; that prick will do anything he thinks he can get away with. That's why we came here. We have a plan for when he was released from whatever charges he accrued. I didn't think he'd be out so soon…”

 

The blonde stood up so fast from the table his chair threatened to topple over, making Zifeara jump. He started pacing, clearly thinking over the first words out of his mouth very carefully.

 

_“So what you’re telling me is, that guy managed to hit you and is still breathing?”_

 

“I… Well, yeah, I don’t just kill people for the fun of it, you know. Yoosung, sit-”

 

 _“Why? That isn’t for the fun of it. That’s well deserved. And even though you didn’t kill him,_ **_Kai_ ** _didn’t? He’s_ **_scary_ ** _and that guy is still alive?”_

 

“Yoosung. Sit down. Fang didn’t kill Korain only because I told him not to. Trust me, it was _hard_ to convince him not to. For fuck’s sake, will you-”

 

_“I’m calling Seven. There’s something he can do to make sure that you-”_

 

Zifeara grabbed onto the blonde, making him stop and face her.

 

“Yoo-sung. We are underground in one of the country’s most well armed lair of criminals. Stop freaking out, you’re making me more nervous than I need to be. Do you not remember me saying in the car that I was in fact going to call Seven for a favor? I got this, relax. Just… settle. I know what I need to do and it’s going to get done.”

 

 _“Zifeara, I dove into a cult den, wrestled a madman, and nearly got an eye put out because you were in trouble. Let me do_ **_something_ ** _. You know I can’t sit still while you’re potentially in danger._ **_Again_ ** _.”_

 

She gave a small laugh, rubbing up and down his arms.

 

“I know you did, love, I know. And it was very brave of you. There’s a fine line between brave and stupid. Right now, I don’t consider this danger. This is inconvenient and moderately uncomfortable. Korain may be a possessive asshole, but he isn’t a complete idiot; he knows better than to just come at me and hope for the best. Everyone knows to be ready to take care of things the next time I see him and I’m going to ask Seven to install cameras around my house so that we’ll see him coming. I’ll make sure they’re all positioned at the doors and windows on the first floor so that there’s no chance he gets a good look at anything he shouldn’t, but that’s what I’m doing. You can help by not losing your shit and being good moral support. You’re very good at that.”

 

He huffed, looking at least a little annoyed that she had given him a rather less-than-proactive role, but he knew she was right. His particular set of skills were not helpful in any other way. He made a disapproving noise and sat back down, arms crossed like a pouting child.

 

“Thank you. Please stay here while-”

 

Her phone started to ring, the tone she had set especially for Fang. Oh boy. This was not going to be pretty. She answered and was sure even Yoosung could hear the furious string of Japanese coming from the other side of the line. It took a solid minute for her to get a word in.

 

“I know, I know, stop yelling. I’m at The Black Market right now and I’m- no, I know, shut up, Kai. I’m doing what I need to. Yeah, it’s fine. Nnnnnoooo… he was. Yeah, of course. Uh, listen I… Hanasu no o tomeru kare wa anata no koto o kiku.”

 

Yoosung narrowed his eyes and went to protest since she was clearly talking about him a second ago, but she just shook her head and waved him off, continuing to speak Japanese into the phone.

 

“Yeah, just because he was there doesn’t mean I let him do anything, you know Korain would have kicked his shit in. I was thinking of getting the hacker friend of mine to set up cameras around my house so we’ll know if he comes anywhere near it and I figured you could build me sort of like a panic button I can hit so that everyone knows to come running if need be. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, good. Cool, I’ll meet you here soon and we can get to work. Thanks Kai, love you.”

 

As soon as Zifeara hung up, Yoosung was irritated.

 

_“Alright, what was that? I know he said something about me.”_

 

“That was Japanese because Fang says a lot of things when he’s angry. He’s a lot like you; very irrational when I’m in some kind of trouble. Which seems silly since I’m always in some kind of trouble. Now, I don’t want to hear any more about it, stay here while I go get everyone else on the same page and call Seven. We have a lot to do.”

 

***

 

_“Are you sure this all you want me to do, Zifeara? Because I can think of a few other things I could-”_

 

“Thanks Saeyoung but really, this is all I wanted. It would be great if you could stop making such a big deal out of this, though. It’s bad enough dealing with Fang and Yoosung, so I really don’t need someone else to sort out.”

 

The hacker had just put up the last of her cameras on the porch and tested them, finding everything in perfect order. He was sitting cross-legged as per usual, checking and double checking that everything was positioned correctly and nicely focused. With a sigh, he closed his laptop and stood, brushing off his jeans.

 

_“Okay, but let me know asap if that changes. I’m always more than happy to worry about you, you know~!”_

 

“Hahahaha, thank you. I don’t even know if he’ll come around or if he’ll leave well enough alone for once, so I’m really only doing this much as a precaution. Speaking of, are we still on for dinner this week? I know Saeran’s been extra… moody as of late.”

 

Seven gave a rather melancholy smile and placed the hand not full of computer on her shoulder.

 

_“Definitely. I know I say it all the time, but thanks for coming over so often. I do really mean it. I think it helps Saeran acclimate better; he really likes you, even if he doesn’t show it. Now that I get to do something for you, I feel a little better about how much you do for us, haha. We really owe you.”_

 

“Sae, as much as it seems impossible, I like spending time with you guys. Saeran moreso when he actually comes out of his shell, but that’s understandable. You’re friends by choice, so if I didn’t want to see you, I wouldn’t. Speaking of, are we any closer to having the RFA meeting?”

 

Taking a deep breath in, Seven removed his glasses and set his computer on a porch chair so he could rub his eyes.

 

_“No. I know it’s been forever but… I can’t find him. I don’t know where either of them are actually. They’re doing a good job of staying low. Honestly, if it’s too much longer… I’m going to have to take that as an admission of guilt and tell the RFA. It isn’t fair to wait and… I trust what Saeran says to be true. He’s my brother, I have to believe him.”_

 

“I know, I believe him too. He doesn’t seem to be making anything up and I don’t know why he would. With some of the stuff he’s told me… I don’t see a reason for him to lie about it. My biggest concern is… what do we tell Yoosung? It’s going to kill him and he’s doing so much better…”

 

_“We tell him the truth. We tell everyone the truth. That V lied to us. That Rika is alive. That I can’t find her or V. And then we stick together like we always do. The RFA is family with or without them and we’ll cope. It’ll be okay. If Yoosung gets out of control, you won’t have to handle him alone. We’re all here.”_

 

There were times when Seven really came out of his silly, zany 707 persona and just became so sincere and confident that Zifeara just wanted to adopt him. Just have one big happy family of the Choi twins and Yoosung. They all needed to be protected from everything that was going wrong in their lives and she wanted to do it herself. Which she was about to help with right now.

 

“Saeyoung, you trust me pretty obviously, but in light of… everything going on, there’s actually something else I’d really like to do for you.”

 

He was clearly going to protest, but she cut him off, placing both hands on his shoulders and lowering her speaking volume.

 

“But in order for me to do that, I need you to display the most trust you ever have in anyone ever. Tell me the name of your agency.”

 

His eyes widened and his mouth started moving, but nothing came out. All he could do was stare and try to read her expression. It felt like forever, but he looked down, exhaling shakily and placing his hands over hers.

 

_“Okay.”_

 

***

 

_“Meow, meeoooooow!”_

 

The kitten was circling his legs, very ready for dinner. Lisa was always loud, but never moreso when she was hungry.

 

“Alright, alright, here. Take this and leave my hand, hehe. Zifeara, what do you want to watch tonight? We could do another movie or maybe some more old cartoons?”

 

Yoosung called into his little living room, hearing his tv turn on. He knew Zifeara was absorbed in drawing something, but as soon as she finished, they were supposed to watch something together. They’d had their mega movie night yesterday, but he had one more night of staying up late before he had to go back to school. Saturdays were usually pretty chill.

 

_“I dunno, what do you feel more like? Doesn’t super matter to me…”_

 

That was odd. She sort of trailed off at the end as if she was going to say something else. He could hear something on, but he was pretty sure he’d last had the news on to see if the weather was going to be nice this weekend. Leaving the cat to her food, Yoosung came around the corner of his kitchen to stand behind the couch. He was already on the side he usually sat on, so he could see that Zifeara was peering over her tablet periodically at the main story for the night. Finding the remote, Yoosung turned up the volume a bit. The footage they were showing looked like a pretty nasty fire.

 

_“-tonight, a massive fire broke out in an abandoned warehouse, seemingly the result of a gas explosion in the building’s subterranean levels. While the facility has been vacant for years, there are confirmed sightings of human bodies inside, likely homeless people taking shelter here. For now, the flames are too intense for firefighters to determine how many casualties there were, but it is certain there could be no one left alive inside due to the nature and magnitude of the blaze.”_

 

He was about to say something about how awful that was to Zifeara, but looking at her made his blood run cold. Though she had returned to her drawing… she had the slightest hint of a smile on her lips. Yoosung figured it would be better not to ask. Something told him the people who died in that building weren’t vagrants looking for a place to stay. Some things were probably best left to ignorance.

 

Zifeara’s phone started ringing, playing what sounded suspiciously like Nyan cat. Her smile widened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaaay backstory kinda! Those few words at the end of Zifeara's sentence that aren't in English should roughly translate to 'Stop talking, he can hear you.' Should being the key word. I don't speak Japanese, so it's the best I can do T_T If anyone wants to correct me, I will super take that.
> 
>  
> 
> Hopefully everyone remembers who has what ringtone on Zifeara's phone >^>


	20. I'll Make A Man Out Of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoosung has a problem that he's been dealing with for a while and Zifeara definitely has the cure. Also, giraffes are terrifying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man guys, I had this written so long ago and have been waiting to post it for forever. I think I started on this when the boys were about to go into Mint Eye or even a little before >///>;
> 
> So yeah, here you go, enjoy.

Jostled. Jostled was the only word to describe the damning action that had started this whole thing. Yoosung jostled her awake. As soon as she properly looked at the blonde, she knew he hadn't done it on purpose. His eyes were still shut and his mouth slightly open, most likely because he was doing that thing again. One of Zifeara's guilty pleasures was listening to Yoosung talk in his sleep. As far as she could tell, he had no idea he did it, meaning she had a moment of him being completely and utterly hers; so much so that even he couldn't claim it in his own mind. The two of them had been dating for a little over two months now, forever spending entire weekends on their long awaited sleepovers. Tonight she was at his place because he wanted to take her out on a date tomorrow and wouldn't tell her where they were going, only saying he wanted to walk and his apartment was closer. She had slept with him any time they were together from the second he had come home from the hospital, initially much to his embarrassment. He soon learned and later admitted to having her sleeping pressed so close to him was so far the single greatest joyful feeling he had ever experienced, so long as she didn't count dating her or kissing her or knowing that she truly loved him. Tonight was no different.

They had fallen asleep as they usually did; Zifeara facing the wall his bed was pressed against and Yoosung wrapped entirely around her, indulging in the feeling of simultaneously protecting and adoring his girlfriend. He always had an arm wrapped around her waist, the other arm under her neck, legs completely entangled. This was very rarely how they stayed. Both of them moved borderline constantly and tonight Zifeara had ended up right up against the wall, so that when Yoosung jostled, she woke up pinned to it. Normally this would have freaked her right the Hell out; she didn't do well with being woken up suddenly, much the less suddenly and trapped. The only thing stopping her panicked ass-kicking reaction was the way Yoosung said her name. The blonde had a certain unmistakable tone when he wasn't awake; somewhere between the sexy huskiness of a world renowned heartthrob and the hilarious slurred ease of a happy drunk. She was fairly confident he couldn't make his voice do that if he tried, so it was confined to these occasions. This was the tone that made her relax now. He didn't know what he was doing right now, so she couldn't be mad that she was rather squished. In fact, now she could play her favorite game.

 

_“Mmm, Zifeara…”_

 

“Yes, Yoosung~?”

 

_“Wn yoo nnn kutch.”_

 

She stifled a giggle. Some nights she could hear him as if they were having a normal conversation then other times he made absolutely no sense at all.

 

“What was that, pumpkin? Say it again.”

 

It was so hard not to tease him when he was awake, forget about in his sleep. Egging him on lead to the best conversations ever. He slept like a rock, so talking back never woke him. Last week she had gotten him to have a serious discussion with her about why giraffes were scary. _Giraffes._ She never knew the gentle giants could read minds.

 

_“Wan you on th couch.”_

 

Wait, what? Why? Aw man, this was going to be boring, wasn't it? Every week they made a point of watching at least one movie on the couch before bed, no matter whose house they were at. This was always accompanied by copious amounts of junk food and cuddles. Oh whatever, may as well. Maybe she could still salvage something from this later. His mind was weird.

 

“Alright. What else do you want?”

 

_“Mmmmrr… Lllwwr… ah, th-ah… yes…”_

 

WHAT. Did he just- Zifeara didn't even get to finish her thought before she had her answer. The low moan that escaped from her boyfriend was right in her ear. Oh. My. God. Yoosung was having a sex dream. About her. Out loud. _On her._ Being where she was, Zifeara could feel him roll his hips forward, his flannel pajama pants not doing much to hide his growing erection. Oh shit. He was bigger than she thought he’d be. She had been trying to let Yoosung go at his own pace with her since he had never been in a relationship before, but it had been so hard not to jump his bones from probably week 3 onwards. The boy had absolutely no idea how sexy he could be, so he accidentally did everything that turned her on, from biting his lower lip while concentrating to slowly running his hands through his hair while thinking. This was a whole other problem now.

She really should wake him up. He’d be embarrassed and not be able to look at her for a week, but she should. And yet… Yoosung let out a soft whine, the friction from pressing himself against her fueling whatever was going on in his head. Zifeara wanted to take the high road, but that wasn’t going to happen now. She couldn’t pass this up, especially once the hand on her waist traveled down to her hip and squeezed, making her all too curious about what exactly she was doing to him to get him so riled up. His breathing had quickened slightly and he had buried his face in the back of her neck. This was going to be fun after all.

 

“Mmmm, Yoosung, what _else_ do you want?”

 

_“Nnn, Zifeara… dohn teese me… not now…”_

 

“But you like it when I tease, don’t you?”

 

Apparently he did based on the sharp inhale and gentle buck of his hips he gave. Good to know.

 

“Do you like it when I do this too?”

 

She pushed back against him, eliciting another deliciously satisfying groan. This also served to push him backwards a bit, giving her enough room now to get out of bed when she wanted to. When she was done with him, more like.

 

“Haha, how badly do you want this, Yoosung? You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into~”

 

_“Nnnuh. So… bad… puh-plees.”_

 

“Mmm, please what?”

 

Clearly she was being cruel even in his dream. The blonde produced another noise of frustration and another needy little rut against her back.

 

_“Ssso close… wunna… cum.”_

 

Zifeara was about to get up and out of bed since there was only so far she could take this in good conscience, especially since it looked like the sun was just coming up and there would be no more sleep for her tonight. She was going to go take an early shower and… decompress. That was until Yoosung moved his head from just at the nape of her neck to right where it met her shoulder, complaining into her bare skin. She could feel his lips brush lightly over her as he spoke, making her shudder. This was getting out of hand; he had never been so physically involved while dreaming before. He must have been having one Hell of a time.

 

_“Haaaa, Zifeara… Pleeease.”_

 

He placed his mouth lazily over the junction and ran his tongue across her flesh, making her gasp and surely blush at least a little. Oh yeah, Zifeara had to get up. All the grinding he had been doing was contributing to the small puddle forming between her legs and the blooming heat of her unresolved lust that he’d been causing for the better part of a month. This time when she pushed on Yoosung, she used her back more; still being rewarded with a new noise of pleasure, but enabling her to lean forward into the newly empty space and get up without waking him. Now free and standing next to the bed, she leaned over and whispered into his ear one more time before booking it into the bathroom.

 

“Well, since you asked so nicely~”

 

Zifeara left her sweet, sleepy mess to his own devices, locking herself in his bathroom. This was going to be difficult. She had been scared of moving too fast for his innocent expectations of the natural progression of relationships, so the furthest she’d gotten him to go was properly making out a few times. Only one of those came about from his own initiative. He would always get too flustered to keep going if she had her tongue in his mouth for more than about a minute, so she hadn’t even been able to attempt anything more.

Getting undressed and turning the shower on to let the water warm up, Zifeara didn’t know what she was more irritated over; the fact that whenever Yoosung would get too embarrassed to try anything with her, he wasn’t very tactful about hiding the exact moment he removed himself from her presence to quickly go ‘attend’ to his physical issue or the realization that he sounded like he would be amazing in bed if he’d just let her take him there. Zifeara felt the blush creep back into her cheeks as she played her boyfriend’s lusty sounds again in her head, reaching out absentmindedly to feel if the shower was ready yet. The water was almost as hot as she was.

Stepping under the water she dealt with her hair, letting her imagination try to piece together the event’s of Yoosung’s dream. Maybe if she could do that, she could try to reenact it, perhaps coaxing the sexy little strumpet to the dark side. Everything was more fun in the dark. That was mean, she shouldn’t think of her poor, sexually uneducated paladin that way. But doing so was extremely rewarding. He was so shy and innocent. He would look so good as she broke him. She already knew he could beg beautifully…

Trailing a hand through her hair, over her neck, down the valley in between her breasts, over her stomach, Zifeara relaxed against the shower wall. There were at least 9 surfaces in this apartment she wanted to fuck that boy on and he didn’t even have that much furniture. Slipping her fingers across her folds, even she was surprised to find exactly how wet she was. She had to have been practically dripping before she even touched the water. Sighing, she knew this wouldn’t take long. Slipping two fingers inside herself she got to work, letting the other hand run itself over her body, imagining Yoosung’s graceful, delicate hands being used for such a lewd purpose. God it was such a fiendishly satisfying feeling. She had told him once that she was a devil and she meant it. The utter corruption of an angel was mind numbingly sexy and had Zifeara openly panting in minutes.

Having imagined things that would’ve made Saeyoung need to spend hours in confessional, Zifeara finsihed her shower and quietly exited the bathroom, listening carefully for noise from the bed. Yoosung was snoring softly, his energy spent for the night. She plopped down at his desk and got her tablet, leaving it plugged into its charger as it had been since bedtime. She had already heard, felt, and experienced sin for the night, might as well draw it too.

 

***

 

Something smelled really good. He didn’t care, sighing into her mouth as she seductively ran her tongue over his, her hands dancing across his bare chest leaving fire in their wake. She said there was a reason her name was Dragon, but goddamn. He hadn’t thought that applied to everything she did. This couch had already seen so much tonight but at last it was time for the finale. It smelled almost like pancakes. Zifeara had already positioned herself to take him in, now she was just teasing him, making him work for what he really wanted. This was probably the only teasing he had ever been happy about. If she wanted him to work then he was putting in for overtime. She had already made him cum once; he was going to give her anything she wanted to do that again. He didn’t even know you could _do_ some of those things with your mouth. She slipped her tongue back out, running it down his jaw and making him tremble. How did she do that? Pancakes and coffee. He wanted her so badly, involuntarily whining at how long he had been made to wait. He was so close. He felt her smile into his neck as she placed her lips to the soft, ticklish spot right above his collarbone and kissed lightly. He inhaled sharply as she ran his length along her heat, astounded at the sheer wetness of everything. Had he really turned her on that much? He barely did anything, she had been doing all the work. He was rocking slightly, not just his hips to keep moving himself against her, but all of him, like he was on a boat. He knew she was ready when she sucked on that spot, making him moan and tense. This was it. She bit down. Hard. She absolutely slammed herself onto his-

 

_“Yoosung!”_

 

Flailing, he fell out of bed.

 

_“Oh no, are you ok?”_

 

Now on the floor, Yoosung sat up looking quickly around, massively confused at why it was suddenly so bright in here. And why the couch was all the way over there. And why Zifeara was right in front of him and not on him. Fully… clothed. **Oh.** She was looking at him as though she were trying not to laugh now that she could tell he was fine.

 

_“Good morning, sleeping beauty. I’m getting breakfast going, so you better get yourself into the shower and ready for wherever you’re taking me.”_

 

He didn’t even have time to blink before his face was on fire. He had the best luck in the universe right now; he was stuck in his comforter, which had fallen off the bed with him onto his lap. Covering up everything _else_ that was going on with him. Thank god she was urging him into the shower as opposed to eating first. He couldn’t let her know that he was probably at most a dozen good strokes from cumming _right now_ all because of something she hadn’t actually done. She could never know. How long had he been staring with his mouth open?

 

_“Yoosung?”_

 

She was smirking and had an eyebrow raised. _She knew._ She couldn’t know. Right? Hastily scrambling up off the ground, he mumbled something about being quick which he then stammered over trying to reword that. He grabbed his hoodie off the floor to take the place of his comforter, endeavoring to make it look like he was simply gathering clothes to take into the bathroom. She shook her head and turned back to the kitchen to finish making food, letting him fumble around in his closet for what he had planned to wear. The second the bathroom door locked, Yoosung was sliding down it, face buried in his hands. Why did he have to have the most amazing sex dream of his life while she was _here_?

He was so ashamed of himself. Zifeara had been moving so slowly with him; she was being so sweet and gentle and here he was, inches away from her, fantasizing about having his dick down her throat. He was horrible. He was the worst boyfriend ever. And he had to think about it for a while longer in order to get this out of his system. This wasn’t the first time either. Yoosung turned the shower on and waited, the water taking its sweet time to stop being ice cold. Actually, maybe ice cold was what he needed right now. No, if he ushered it away, he would feel it all day. He knew; he’d tried.

The second the water was a half acceptable temperature he jumped in, unable to stop fidgeting. Before he could even think of cleaning any part of himself, he’d need a different kind of cleansing. All it took to start was the way she said his name when she teased him. One hand over his mouth to keep from making too much noise, the other over his still hard manhood, one long, drawn out pull put him back to where he was right before he was rudely awakened. Zifeara had just slammed him into her before gently pulling back, the shock from the suddenness of the action making the sheer bliss of what followed so much more pronounced. She set a nice gentle rhythm while her mouth worked him over; up his neck, over his shoulders, down his chest. One rock of his hips and she was completely different; faster, hungrier, uttering sighs and soft moans as she chased her own pleasure while providing his. Each kiss was heaven, each bite euphoric. She knew what she was doing; she had hinted at it many times and Zifeara never lied. He was so close. She liked it when he made noise for her, when he told her in garbled words what she was doing for him, so he did. Each drawn out groan she rewarded handsomely. He wanted to make her happy all the time anyway, but now he would give her literally anything she wanted no matter how impossible, promise anything she asked without hesitation just to have her go a little harder, bring him a little closer to that edge. Yoosung didn’t want this to ever end, but he had a physical limit, one he now reached harder than he ever had before. If he came this hard just thinking about Zifeara, he couldn’t image how it would feel to actually…

He was such an asshole. How could he even ask her for such a thing? He had literally no idea what he was doing. He still got so embarrassed when they made out, much the less anything else. He couldn’t behave himself for long enough to even simply kiss her for more than around 10 minutes at a time, far less if she used her tongue, before his body betrayed him, making his other intentions all too clear. He wanted to let her do whatever was comfortable. After everything they’d been through just to get to this point, he didn’t want to hurry her. She flirted all the time sure, but she had never pushed him to try anything more intense. He couldn’t exactly ask Zen what the easiest and tamest way to say ‘Hey literally every time you look at me a certain way, all I can think about is voraciously having sex with you, do you want to?’ either. That was crossing a line somewhere.

Shameful urges attended to, Yoosung quickly showered and got dressed, fussing with his hair and trying to make it look better than usual. Fantastically sinful dream or no, he still promised his girlfriend a date today and by god, she was going out with him. And she had made him breakfast.

 

***

 

The look on Yoosung’s face was precious. His eyes were wide, doing the whole deer-in-the-headlights thing, and his mouth was slightly open. He’d been caught, he just didn’t know it. It was so hard not to be smug or laugh at him. She’d do any of the things he was dreaming about right here right now, all he had to do was ask. But of course he wouldn’t. She was going to have to give him a push. He scrambled into the bathroom and she was pretty sure it was a matter of time before he mirrored her own actions earlier that morning. The coffee was ready and she had made enough pancakes for both of them. Zifeara finished putting everything on plates and in cups and was just about to make eggs when she stopped. She could have sworn she heard something. That wasn’t…

Curiosity once again getting the better of her, she followed her hunch and walked to the bathroom door, softly leaning against it. She was right. Yoosung was trying to be discreet about this, but quiet didn’t seem to be his forte. At least he had tried. Zifeara knew he _was_ making those noises for her, but this wasn’t what she had in mind. She would have to try and change that. What’s the worst that could happen. She had to stop herself from laughing out loud. She’s pretty sure the last time she had thought that exact same thing, her boyfriend had nearly lost an eye. It’s all fun and games till- …She was horrible. She’d have to make that up to him later, even though he didn’t hear that.

Everything was well past ready by the time he came out, dressed casually but nicely, wearing the hair pins she had gotten him on a whim. The glittery little stars on them suited him so well. Meeting him halfway to the kitchen, Zifeara looked him up and down, resisting the urge to lick her lips, even in jest.

 

_“Well, do I look okay for our date?”_

 

“Hmm… I’d say you could stand to be less cute, but we all know that isn’t possible. I wanted to wear your hoodie, though.”

 

She faked a pout, causing him to sigh and pull the jacket off, handing it over. Grinning, she put it on and lightly shoved him a little.

 

“You’re such a pushover~”

 

God, he had the absolute cutest smile. He pushed her back before putting his fingers in the pockets and pulling, moving her to stand right in front of him. He of course was blushing, not completely over his dream, but his adorable sweet nature wouldn’t let him ignore her. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips before answering.

 

_“Only for you, though. What’s for breakfast, muffin?”_

 

“Well I figured we could have gruel topped with anguish followed by soggy toast lightly sprinkled with the souls of the damned?”

 

Yoosung was used to most of her sarcasm at this point and was even learning to play along by now. For once though, he was lightning fast on this one.

 

_“Again? That’s what you made last time too! Can’t we even just have a normal meal around here?”_

 

Zifeara laughed and kissed him again.

 

“I made you pancakes, eggs and coffee. I’m starting to be a bad influence on you, aren’t I?”

 

_“Mmm, maybe, but I don’t think I mind that too much.”_

 

Smiling, they sat down to eat, did the dishes and got ready to leave. It was nice outside right now, so though she was still going to wear the infamous hoodie, Zifeara was wearing a skirt. One that Yoosung particularly liked, in fact. The last time they had one of the RFA meetings, she’d worn the same one and the blonde had spent the entire meeting putting himself in between her and Zen. A skirt, knee high socks and her combat boots with the cat faces were the boy's true weakness. Throw in his own hoodie and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was well aware, this just so happened to be something she liked wearing too. Grabbing a different jacket and leading her out the door, Yoosung stopped suddenly enough that she ran into him.

 

_“Oh, duh, go grab your tablet! Where we’re going, you’re going to want it.”_

 

She did as he asked and they set out, walking the short distance to the train station by his house.

 

“Yoosung, I thought you said it would be closer to walk? I would have brought my car…”

 

_“I meant for the way back. For the way there, it’ll be easier to take the train, but later I want to stop by somewhere else .”_

 

The train ride was spent going through everything she had drawn that week… save for what she drew this morning. Zifeara was pretty sure that would have killed him, much the less showing him that in public. She’d save that for later. They got off a few stations down and walked another few blocks before she realized with a happy bounce where her paladin had been taking her; they were at the zoo. She adored going to the zoo.

 

_“You like drawing animals best, so I figured…”_

 

He had a shy smile on his face and was a little pink, but that didn’t stop her from delivering a spine crushing hug and excitedly dragging him in so they could get started. He had to be well aware that she’d be here all day since they had gotten here just after open.

 

***

 

Zifeara drew _everything_. Rhino? Yes. Lion? All of them. Elephant? Wasn’t in love with them, but yes then turned it into a moving garden. Squirrel? Hell yes. Everything. All of them were rough sketches that she could finish later, but she was having so much fun that he could have cared less if they spent all day on one exhibit. He was watching her ever changing expressions more than looking at the animals anyway… Surely Zifeara knew what she was wearing was killing him slowly. She had to have done this on purpose. That wasn’t the shortest skirt she owned, but it was his favorite; just above her knees, pleated, black with a little white cat on every section. She just looked so cute in it and they matched her boots perfectly. He snapped out of his daze when she gasped and turned to him, pointing ecstatically.

 

_“Yoosung, look! They’re feeding the giraffes! C’mon, c’mon!”_

 

Oh boy. They hurried to get in line for the keepers to hand you a treat which the giant animals would then try to get from you. He didn’t understand what it was Zifeara loved about giraffes so much, but they were one of her favorites, so of course they had to feed them. When handed their cookies, Zifeara had her phone out.

 

_“Here, come stand by me and hold the biscuit over here so he has to reach across us to get it. I’ll take a picture to show the guys later!”_

 

They moved onto the platform and the closest lumbering spotted tree eyed him hungrily. Zifeara giggled and moved him around her, making it clear the giraffe’s head would be over her for the most part. It wasn’t that Yoosung was scared of them, really it wasn’t, they were just so big and their tongues were so weird and long and… they made him a little nervous.

 

_“I’m ready, show him what you’ve got!”_

 

He revealed the treat the giraffe suspected he had and tensed as the monstrosity bent its head down, pausing to investigate if perhaps Zifeara had one too. Yoosung smiled like he wasn’t lowkey worried and waited for her to confirm she liked the picture she just took before holding his snack a little closer to the animal. It turned its attention to him and reached its purple tongue out, wrapping around his fingers along with its reward. Zifeara laughed like crazy and also took a picture of the face he was making. Great.

 

“Oh gross. Your turn…”

 

She smiled and clicked her tongue at the beast, making it look her way. She pet his muzzle gently before offering her cookie to it, not receiving a drop of saliva for it.

 

“That’s so unfair. It was nice to you just because you’re so cute…”

 

_“Hahaha, Yoosung, it’s a giraffe, I highly doubt it has a preference for one human over another. I got good pictures, though.”_

 

“As long as you’re happy.”

 

_“Excessively.”_

 

She took his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder, leading him to the next creature she wanted to draw. He’d brave a thousand giraffes for this. Otters were next and at least he like otters. They made the cutest squeaking noises. She spent so long trying to draw them because they wouldn’t hold still. The couple ran around everywhere, eating lunch before going more everywhere and back to a couple of other places. They had about an hour till the zoo closed when he asked where she wanted to spend it. The answer was obvious, but he figured he’d give her the choice. Circling back around the whole zoo, they went into South America, past the birds, past the llamas, past any form of primate, right to the back. _Panthera pardus_. The one black leopard the zoo had was fortunately in a tree right next to the plexiglass area of the viewing platform and Yoosung knew Zifeara well enough to know that she was gone the second she saw the cat. Melanistic leopards were her favorite animals after all. She had complained earlier they were in the wrong part of the world, but the zoo apparently put them next to the jaguars to show people the difference. Or so the zoo attendant claimed.

She sat in front of the glass, furiously sketching, making the most of her time with the creature. He sat behind her and was content to watch her so excited and happy, observing the progress of the drawing over her shoulder. You know an artist loves you when they let you watch them work. With great progress being made, it was eventually time to go, but he had an idea. She didn’t even notice when he was gone, but when he came back, he tapped on her head to make her turn to look at him. He had brought her ice cream, mint chip for him and chocolate for her.

She grinned and turned her tablet off, putting it in her bag and waving goodbye to the now yawning leopard before taking the cone and then his hand to help her up. They started walking again, eating their dessert and holding hands, talking about everything they’d seen today and what good drawings she’d gotten.

 

_“Ah, I love the zoo. Thanks, Yoosung, I really liked today’s date. Sorry I was so… absorbed, haha.”_

 

She was cute. She thought he expected to bring her somewhere like this and have any of her attention. He brought her to the zoo to make her happy.

 

“No, I knew you would be, that’s why we came. I’ve told you before, your happiness is my happiness.”

 

_“Mmmm, you’re so sweet. I hope you at least kinda had fun, though. You-”_

 

She had finished her ice cream first and he had just put the rest of his cone in his mouth, but she had stopped so suddenly. As soon as he swallowed to ask her what was wrong, she grabbed onto his jacket and pulled so that he was right up against her. Before the heat could even settle into his face or he could even close his eyes, Zifeara pressed her mouth to his, running her tongue over his lower lip. She moved away again before he could do anything about it.

 

_“You had ice cream on your mouth~”_

 

He must have been staring at her like a moron again because she giggled and reached her hand out, pushing on his bottom jaw to snap it back into place. The soft click of his teeth only made him think of his dream. He could sure as Hell feel that heat now. She laughed again and took his hand once more, leading them out of the closing zoo. He was so glad she stopped looking at him for a few minutes. That gave him time to calm down again before it got too out of hand. He had somewhere else to take her but he would completely forget where it was if she kept doing that…

 

***

 

The small cafe was almost as cute as Yoosung was. This place was tiny and was more for ordering coffee and snacks and taking them over to the park right across the street, which is exactly what they did. It was sunset now, making the trees all glow with orange light; the big one perched atop the hill they were sitting on was particularly pretty. Shoving another forkful of cake in her mouth, Zifeara leaned on his shoulder. Weekends used to be just another day, but now they were a day when she could spend every waking moment happy and snuggled up to her ever blushing prince charming. She had spent all of today with her favorite person doing her favorite thing. She could get used to this. How soon was too soon to ask someone to move in with you? Probably now; now was still too soon. Besides, he’d never get his homework done…

He looked as happy as she did, sipping on his coffee since he had finished his cake faster. He didn’t cut it in half very well and had insisted he’d take the smaller piece. Zifeara had two more bites left and gathered one of them, poking his cheek and making him jump. Snickering, she brought the fork to his mouth and gave him a this-is-not-a-democracy sort of look, which promptly softened as he wisely admitted defeat and ate the cake. Was it really ok to be this in love with someone you’d really only seen for a couple of months? This felt like it was going against some law of nature. Like she shouldn’t be this happy. There were only two other people in the world she could sit in such comfortable silence with and neither of them felt like this.

By the time is was properly dark, Yoosung stood up and decided they should grab dinner and go home. She agreed and settled on pizza for dinner since today had been a good day so she would continue the trend. You could never go wrong with pizza. Getting into his apartment and setting up on the couch for their movie, most of the pizza was gone by the time they got halfway through and they had each downed half a chocolate bar too. He went to the bathroom and left her to pick what was next. She had options for him, all of them somewhere between mildly to moderately terrifying since he had made her watch a dumb romance movie last week. He wasn’t thrilled and happened to go with moderately terrifying; the scariest one she’d offered. She may not have told him which was which. Oops. When the second movie was decided upon, Zifeara was pretty sure Yoosung was trying to tempt her. He had laid down and held his arms out, requesting she lay on him for moral support. She happily did so, placing herself low enough down his chest so that he only blushed a little when she plopped down so that their chests were touching as opposed to turning around.

 

_“Zi-Zifeara, that’s-”_

 

“If you protest too much I’ll get up. Besides, this way when you get scared because the demon shows up, he’s a creepy bugger, I can make you look at me instead of him and you won’t be so freaked out. Unless you want me to let you watch this all the way through?”

 

The blonde opened his mouth to protest, but couldn’t form a good argument against that logic and shut it again. In fact, the further into the movie they got, the more he wrapped himself around her. By the time the monster in question was a few minutes away, their legs were tangled and Yoosung has his arms around her torso tightly, eyes wide and getting way too into the horror. It was really funny to watch and it gave her a brilliantly evil idea. He would do anything to get out of horror movies with her. How much anything was anything?

Here it was, the first time you really saw what the characters were up against. A really creepy demon guy who looked like he could just be a guitarist in a heavy metal band. He himself was not scary, but it was all in the presentation and this movie's soundtrack was amazing. She had been just under his chin this whole time, so she was already very close to where she needed to be. Her arms were around Yoosung’s neck right now, so she slid one of them out and turned his face away from the film and towards hers.

 

“Here he comes.”

 

As soon as their eyes met, the jumpscare reveal happened and the blonde probably hovered at least a few inches off the couch from just the noise and knowledge of what had happened. This was also working into her plan. Once he settled for half a second, Zifeara placed a gentle kiss on his lips, effectively distracting him from all the terror onscreen. Freezing for just an instant, he quickly melted under her, happily focusing on something else. He engaged in this for a bit, but just when he was about to pull away, she teased her tongue just ever so lightly across his lips, promising more. After the kind of night Yoosung had, all his good judgement was temporarily missing. That and to be fair, this would keep him from watching more of the movie that was kind of scaring the Hell out of him.

He obediently opened his mouth, allowing her access. She wanted to make sure he didn’t have time to think. Thinking seemed to be the problem. She got a little more forceful, greedily exploring every square inch before pulling his tongue back into her own mouth and sucking. There it was; the threshold she’d been looking for. He moaned softly, the sound getting lost between them. Since Zifeara still had an arm behind his head, she moved it down so that she could run a hand up the base of his neck and tangle it in his hair, encouraging Yoosung to stay where he was. It was working; until now both his arms had been around her shoulders, but now he ran his hands down her back, keeping them at her waist. She started to relax. He was into this now. All she had to do was push him just a little further.

She ran the hand that wasn’t lost in the golden forest down his neck and over the bit of his chest she wasn’t on, earning a shudder and part of a sigh into her mouth. He hadn’t opened his eyes this entire time, but now and again she fluttered her eyelids just a touch to make sure he didn’t look too uncomfortable. If anything, Zifeara would bet he was dead to the world. Perfect. She risked retreating from their kiss for just a moment, just long enough for him to catch his breath. She tried her best not to give him time to become coherent. As soon as her mouth was off his, she went to work lightly nipping along his jaw, eliciting a gasp and held breath till she reached his neck. With a shaky exhale, he squirmed and seemed to come back though. Damn it all.

 

_“Ah, uhm, Zifeara, I-we- uh, maybe we sh-should stop…”_

 

“Why?”

 

_“I- well, um, are you, d-do you want to…?”_

 

Was… _was she what he was worried about this entire time?!_ Shit, if she would have know that, she would have tried this long before now. His face was so red, likely from the combination of his embarrassment and spontaneous arousal. He probably hadn’t realized yet that from where she was lying, she could feel how excited he was getting. He hadn’t even noticed that he had started pressing against her a minute ago. She decided now would be the best time to blow his mind.

 

“Of course I do, puppy~ Did you think I didn’t know what I was doing to you? What else do you want?”

 

Yoosung went from ‘highly flushed’ to ‘could shame a Choi’ levels of red in record time. Bingo. Forget blown, that had completely wiped his mind.

 

_“Wh-wh-what d-did you say?”_

 

“Haha, I asked what else you wanted. I’m yours, all you have to do is ask~”

 

He stared as that took a second to sink in. She had basically offered him anything he could put into words. Slowly the implication of what she had said hit and his eyes glazed over. Oh now she had done it. As much as Zen went on about ‘the beast’ and how all men are wolves, Zifeara had kind of hoped so after a while. Now she had tracked Yoosung’s beast and had taken a shot. She moved her hips just ever so slightly forward, just enough to make him aware that she knew he wanted this. Before he tried to stammer some kind of apology at her, she leaned down to softly bite the sensitive skin just under his ear, replacing words with a low, throaty groan. She was being a tease anyway, might as well go big or go home. Whispering into his ear always slayed him. Zifeara put on her best alluring tone for this one. She was going big.

 

“Mmmm, feels like there’s something you want to ask me, Yoosung~”

 

She could feel him swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing slowly as though he were trying to ingest a rock. She held her ground, waiting for either a request to continue or stop. She had done all the pushing she was going to, it was up to him whether to jump off the cliff or back up. Zifeara really wanted him to jump; just the kissing alone had already been more intense than she had managed before, so she was well beyond hot and bothered.

 

 

Everything was a blur right now. He was slightly dizzy, but in a good way, like when you get off a rollercoaster and your body hasn’t quite come down with you yet. Was he dreaming again? He could be, since Zifeara was even talking like she was in his dream. This had to be real; he had definitely really actually felt her grind against his hips, brushing ever so provokingly over the telltale sign of how badly he didn’t want to stop. He could bail now. He really could. She was hovering over his neck, waiting for him to ask her, _beg_ her to keep going or tell her he wasn’t ready for this. Was he ready for this? No way in Hell was he ready for something like this with someone like her. Did he want this? A million percent yes, more than anything. So which was the right choice?

She had said yes to him. He would never be ready to go into this unembarrassed. He just had to man up and sink in. That was poor wording. Whatever. He was probably the temperature of the sun with how hot his face felt right now, how much worse could his humiliation be? Moving a hand up from where he hadn’t realized they’d been on Zifeara’s waist and running it up to her face, Yoosung pulled her back a little to look at her. She sat up, now straddling him and he rose with her, gazing earnestly if not extremely shyly into her deep indigo eyes. He was going to commit to this, damn it, this required eye contact to ensure she knew how serious he was. Once he had her attention, he steeled himself for the stupid thing he knew he was going to say.

 

“I-I want you so badly. Can we really...?”

 

Her laugh was music to his ears every single time, but this was different. If her normal laugh was an instrument, then the one she gave now was an entire symphony. It was deeper than usual, dripping with lust just like her gaze. Holy shit. Zifeara was always unbelievably attractive to him, but someone had replaced her with a goddess. How did she keep getting better?

 

_“Hahaha, puppy, the question is, can you really handle me? I know you haven't done this before and that's okay, but there's only one thing I need you to know right now.”_

 

“Y-yeah?”

 

She took his face gently in both her hands, running her thumbs along his cheeks. She was back to looking so sweet again.

 

_“I don't care how embarrassed you are, if I'm doing something that hurts or that you don't like or you just want to stop, you_ **_need_ ** _to tell me. I won't think any less of you for it. Promise?”_

 

He swallowed hard. Why hadn't he just told her he wanted this weeks ago? Of course his fantastic, kind, loving girlfriend was going to be so cool with this. He was such an idiot. He smiled.

 

“Promise.”

 

Her expression darkened with mischief again.

 

_“Good. Give me your shirt.”_

 

“W-what?”

 

Just like that, her hands were under his top, pushing upwards and grabbing the hem, pulling his shirt, jacket, and even his hair pins off all in one motion, throwing them all well out of reach. Before he had even opened his eyes, Yoosung felt one of her hands running down his chest, making him gasp. Zifeara's expression was… ravenous.

 

“I-I'm no Zen, but…”

 

He knew he didn't really have that bad of a body, all things considered, but he definitely wasn't toned either. He played games and did homework all day. He just had a good metabolism. He was actually surprised she ran both her hands over his torso a couple of times, somehow enjoying herself.

 

_“It may interest you to know that there is such a thing as too much muscle. Besides, if I had wanted Zen, I'd be dating Zen. I don't love you for your muscle, Yoosung, I love you for that big brain of yours. Though if I'm honest, you look good enough to eat~”_

 

Since he had his mouth open to stutter about what in the world she had just said to him, it made it all that much easier for Zifeara to put her tongue down his throat to stop him. He was pretty okay with that. They were still sitting upright, so she was slightly above him. While she ran her hands over his shoulders and through his hair, he finally put his under her clothes. She smiled into the kiss as he lifted her shirt much as she had his, hoodie and all, breaking their connection just long enough to get the garments off. And for Yoosung to stare. He knew his girlfriend was… well endowed, but everything was different when there was nothing left to the imagination. Everything was magical now.

 

_“You are allowed to touch, you know~”_

 

Zifeara was grinning as she reached behind her back, deftly undoing the clasp holding her bra in place and sliding the restraint off, tossing it somewhere near where all the other clothes were. He felt weak. He absolutely knew what breasts looked like, but that didn't prepare him for this. Nothing had prepared him for this. He placed both his hands just over the hem of her skirt and ran them slowly upwards, savoring the silky feel of her soft skin, reveling in the shudder Zifeara's whole body gave as he delicately worked his way over her imposing chest. It actually got better than this at some point?

Yoosung had always been a quick learner in anything with a practical application. It was only a few test squeezes and rubs before he had her making the kind of noises he only dreamed about for him; all happy sighs and ‘ahhs’. Not to mention a few other rubs of her own. She was still on his lap and was slowly grinding against the now prominent bulge in his jeans, starting to draw similar noises from him. It wasn't too terribly long before Zifeara grabbed his hands and ended his ministrations, putting his palms together. He was confused until she took both of his hands in one of hers and slammed him backwards onto the couch, holding his arms above his head. That look in her eyes was back and Yoosung would have been scared if he wasn't so very aroused.

 

 

Zifeara locked eyes with her unsuspecting victim for a brief second, just to let him know that playtime was over before moving her mouth to his neck, trailing kisses down to his collarbone. Running her tongue along the line earned her a quiet moan, but she wanted more. Much more. She wanted him loud. Making her way back up, she picked a nice piece of real estate, the delicate area just where his jaw connected and sucked, making Yoosung’s hips jump and his breath hitch. Still not what she wanted. She lightly bit her way down to his shoulder, resuming the rocking of her hips, working him through the fabric of his pants. Those would have to go soon. Before that, however, she had something to return. Zifeara hadn't forgotten this morning. She bit down harder on just the spot where neck meets shoulder and got what she wanted; her blonde had apparently done to her exactly what he had wanted done to him.

 

_“Aaah-ah-ah~! Mmmm, d-do that again?”_

 

She was all too happy to oblige, massaging her tongue heavily over the spot so as not to overdo it. She moved a touch over before giving him what he asked for along with a rather forceful jut of her hips. The happy cry that came from Yoosung’s throat was accompanied by an instinctive buck of his own, getting more desperate to relieve the pressure driving him crazy. Zifeara worked her way down, leaving bites of various firmness all over his shoulders and chest and dragging her nails across his skin before moving onto more pressing matters. Once she ran her hands down his sides and didn't appear to be stopping at his abs, he seemed to become concerned again.

 

_“Hah, Zif-feara, whahhaat are you doing?”_

 

“Well you didn't think with all this lead up that's all there was to be had, did you? That was only lesson one.”

 

He inhaled sharply and his eyes widened as she undid the button on his pants and slid the zipper down, throwing him a devilish grin. He opened his mouth and she waited to see if it was to ask her to stop, but Yoosung closed it again, simply staring instead. She pulled his jeans down and off before sliding a hand up his thigh. He relaxed as though there were no longer bones in his body, laying back against the couch and letting his eyes flutter shut, expecting her to come back up there with him. Oh how wrong he was.

As soon as Zifeara's palm glided over his erection, he was a mess. That was what she had wanted. He moaned so sweetly for her. She hadn't even gotten to the good part yet and he had put his hands over his face, trying to contain himself to at least _make it_ to proper sex. She could fix that. Hooking her fingers under the elastic of his underwear, she coaxed the blonde to lift his hips so she could have those too. She wrapped a hand around his dick and gave a long, drawn out pull, causing him to mumble something incoherently into his hands. He had been leaking plenty of precum this entire time, but that one touch had him spilling over. Gathering a bit of it by rubbing her thumb over his head, this time she had heard him. He only ever swore during LOLOL and it always made her laugh, but now it was downright sexy.

 

_“Ooooh, holy shiiit, Zifeara…”_

 

“Mmm, like that, do you?”

 

_“Y-yes,_ **_god_ ** _, yes.”_

 

“Hmm, maybe we should skip to the good part, then.”

 

He finally moved his hands and looked at her, face somewhere between confused and ridiculously embarrassed to be staring at her considering the circumstances. She thought he might actually have a heart attack as he watched her press her tongue to the base of his shaft and run it all the way up to the tip, never breaking eye contact. Instead he simply took a shaky breath in and fell back again, forgetting how to function. This was the loudest groan she had achieved yet, in a tone very nearly as good as his sleep talking one. So _that's_ where that came from… He completely broke, practically howling when she took his entire length into her mouth all at once and moved her tongue around him. She had trained her gag reflex long ago and it was being put to good use. The string of half intelligible word vomit that flowed out of him was beyond rewarding.

 

_“F-fuckoooOOOoohhgoooddamn-! Oooooh… mmmmmmmuh…”_

 

She had to try not to laugh lest she override her body's ignorance to there being something blocking her primary airway, but simply hummed in smug satisfaction, producing more blissful babble from her very incapacitated boyfriend. Zifeara had only bobbed her head twice before his nails were digging into the sofa, clinging to anything to anchor him in this world. Yoosung was so vocal, oscillating between softly swearing and mewling noises of absolute pleasure and it was killing her to know that she could do this to him. She had to keep a firm grip on his hips to stop him from accidentally running himself into her teeth; she would have to warn him about doing that later, but currently she didn't want to put an end to the state he was in.

A few minutes of circling her tongue, running it over his impossibly sensitive head, and pushing him down the back of her throat, Zifeara had her boy right on the edge and he was starting to panic a little.

 

_“Mm-Zifeara-I-ooohh, I'm-I'm guh-getting clooohse.”_

 

He had managed to not look at her this entire time, but now that he expected her to stop and tell him what to do, he ventured a glance. She felt his cock twitch the second he made eye contact, now hovering just over the brink of self control. He was already all the way in her mouth, if she pulled him out, he would tip. So she didn't bother. She smiled around him as much as was physically possible before hollowing her cheeks, giving one final, hard suck.

Yoosung’s eyes snapped shut and he practically dented the couch with how hard he clenched his fists. Zifeara was pretty sure she had never heard anyone say her name that loudly, much the less moan it. She would have had an absolute mouthful were he not in the position to cum straight down her throat. Swallowing the first round down, she pulled as much out as he would give, watching with glee as he started panting hard and ran his hands through his hair, trembling from the aftershock.

As soon as the blonde could finally look at her, Zifeara released him with one more swirl of her tongue to clean him off and licked her lips for added effect. All the color he had accumulated over the course of this adventure drained from his face as he was just now realizing she had swallowed all of the mess he was expecting see. Now his complexion was more like the tide, flowing back in just as quickly as it had receded. She just found her new favorite hobby.

 

_“Oh… oh my god…”_

 

“Happy?”

 

_“I… I don't think there's a w-word for this… Uhm, you didn't have to…t-to...”_

 

“Haha, don't worry about it. I had fun~ You aren't done yet though. This is only intermission before round two.”

 

_“W-wait, what?! Rou- what?”_

 

“Mhm. You have a refractory period and haven't even touched me yet~”

 

Zifeara watched his eyes glint as he acknowledged the fact that he hadn't gotten to do a thing this entire time. Hell, she still had her skirt on. She was glad he was excited. Her smile dropped when she actually looked at him any other way besides hungrily. He noticed.

 

_“What...?”_

 

“Oh… um, I'm… I'm sorry, Yoosung. You uh…”

 

She got up and pulled him with her, leading him into the bathroom and turned on the light. Once she turned him around to face the mirror and watched his mouth drop open, she felt a little bad.

 

“You kind of… look like you've been attacked by a Tasmanian Devil. I may have gotten a bit carried away...”

 

Yoosung didn't look upset. He was… he was admiring the marks and scratches that littered his entire torso. He turned his head this way and that to better see the ones on his neck.

 

_“None of this hurts, you know.”_

 

“Yet… We um… we have an RFA meeting tomorrow.”

 

Zifeara couldn't believe it when he smiled like she had told him Christmas was early this year.

 

_“That's right, we do! Hehe, guess the guys can't tell me I'm a baby anymore now can they?”_

 

No, she supposed they couldn't… huh. Oh no. She had a fantastically, horribly evil idea. He should stop saying things around her.

 

“Why make them wait?”

 

She grabbed his hand and pushed him back out and onto the bed, finding his pants wherever she threw them and retrieving his phone.

 

_“Zifearaaaaa, what are you doing?”_

 

He was suspicious of course, he knew her, but she simply kissed his head and flopped down with him, logging him into the messenger and handing him his phone. For once, everyone was there. Perfect.

 

_Yoosung★ has entered the chatroom_

 

_707: I'm just saying, I can rock a skirt like u wouldn't believe._

_Zen: OH MY GOD STOP_

_Jaehee:_ **_Please stop._ **

_707: Heya, Yoosung!_

_Zen: Oh thank god._

_Zen: How was your date, dude?_

_Jumin: From what I recall, you were going to the zoo?_

_Jaehee: Yes, we saw the picture of the giraffe earlier, did you have fun?_

_Yoosung★: Yeah, it was the best date ever!_

_Yoosung★: We spent all day there and Zifeara drew a lot._

_707: Yeah, giraffes are cool ♡_

_707: Did she go home already?_

_Zen: Yeah, you're here, where is she?_

_Yoosung★: Oh, she's right here._

_Yoosung★: She’s reading off my phone, lol_

_707: Oho, is she now~_

_707: What are u two up to?_

_Zen: Don't start;;;_

_Zen: I can't stand to think about it;_

_Zen: Besides, Yoosung is barely an Adult._

_Jaehee: Be that as it may, Zifeara is older than he is._

_Zen: Jaehee, please;;_

_Jumin: I hope she is planning to return home soon, it is quite late._

_Yoosung★: Funny you should mention that, Zen._

_Yoosung★: Pretty sure I am now._

 

“Yoosung hold still!”

 

This was insanity, but he was giddy at the idea. Zifeara was laying on about half his chest, her arm covering even the slightest part of her own, their heads pressed together, both winking, her tongue slightly poking out between her teeth as she smiled. The way she was laying showed off all the marks she had just left and Yoosung looked as happy as anyone had ever seen him. He posted the picture. She giggled as she mentioned how certain she was she could hear Zen screaming from here. He hugged her tightly with the arm not holding the phone and told her how much he loved her evil mastermind ways.

 

_Yoosung★:_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_Jumin:_ **_I AM AGAINST A MAN AND WOMAN LIVING TOGETHER BEFORE MARRIAGE._ **

_707: OHMYGOD_

_707: Finally!_

_Zen: xfwo;fnqi_

_Zen: avcpae!;jdcKa_

_Zen:_ **_Yoosung Kim_ **

_707: I was wondering how long it would take till Zifeara claimed ur soul lol_

_Yoosung★: See you tomorrow guys!_

 

_Yoosung★ has left the chatroom._

 

 

“Oh god, I can’t believe you let me do that…”

 

Zifeara was snuggled into his chest, giggling and running her hands up his sides.

 

_“Too late now, there’s no room for regret when you indulge in my evil schemes. You're my partner in crime~ Just like LOLOL after all.”_

 

“Yeah, hehe. Oh, Zen’s gonna kill me tomorrow, though…”

 

_“Not if I have anything to say about it. Besides, telling him that was my idea would probably shut him up. And isn’t a lie.”_

 

“Yeah, but… Ugh, that’s all everyone will be talking about tomorrow. It’s… exciting and terrifying at the same time. I wanted them all to stop teasing me about being a child, but I didn’t think this through and-”

 

Zifeara pushed herself up so that her face was in the crook of his neck, breathe warm and tickling.

 

_“Sweetheart, don’t worry so much. This was going to happen eventually, I just may have coaxed you into a little bit of vindictive bragging. Even if we hadn’t posted that, there is absolutely no way we could hide… literally everything I’ve done to your neck. They’d know. Now the only thing you can do is return the favor~”_

 

She nuzzled her nose just under his jaw, sending an all too familiar shudder through his body. She did mention there would be more and he definitely needed to repay her for… literally everything she had done for- no _to_ him so far. Yoosung ran his hands over her bare back, eliciting a contented sigh.

 

“You… you know I don’t... know what I’m doing now either…”

 

Zifeara looked up at him, eyes gleaming but nothing aside from playful teasing in her tone.

 

_“Learn by doing, puppy, learn by doing.”_

 

And learn by doing he did. She wrapped one arm behind his head and the other around his waist before turning them both over, placing a kiss to the blonde’s lips as he now steadied himself over his girlfriend. He didn’t know how she did it, but the tension and worry completely vanished; replacing itself with a growing warmth as he earnestly endeavored to exude even a fraction of the sexy confidence his Dragon did. From the sounds she was making, Zifeara liked when he ran his hands through her hair, but she whimpered when he got stuck and pulled.

 

“Ooooh no, I’m sorry-I-”

 

_“Yoosung, it’s okay, honest. If… if that was bad, that wouldn’t have been the noise I made. I would have told you…”_

 

He raised an eyebrow, blush creeping cross his face. Was she saying what he thought she was? He could feel a different kind of heat now, one deep in his chest and for just a moment it melted through his common sense and concern. This was a feeling similar to what he had felt so long ago before they were even dating; similar to that miserable jealousy he felt while she was talking to someone that wasn’t him. This was a primal feeling. Replacing his hand in the hair nearest the back of her head he pulled, somewhat roughly forcing Zifeara to look up so that he could do as she had asked and returned her favor, nipping and sucking at her neck. Her gasps and throaty groans told him he had done the right thing as her arms wrapped around him, nails lightly running down his back.

Yoosung mirrored his girlfriend’s earlier motions, making his way down her neck and to her chest, primitive instinct still in control. He wasn’t a million percent innocent; he knew he could work his mouth just as she had hers. He was gentle at first, trailing his tongue over her breasts, circling her nipples, placing open-mouthed kisses everywhere. As soon as he figured he had the hang of his, Yoosung got incrementally more forceful; the only indication he received of doing an unsatisfactory job being a hushed ‘ow’ from being maybe a bit too rough with his teeth.

Once he came down from his animalistic high, he figured he was ready. He could spend all night right where he was, but he had something to prove. Yoosung slid his hands down Zifeara's body to her skirt, running his fingers along the hem as his mouth moved back up her neck before stopping entirely. He backed up to look at her, noting she seemed pretty excited.

 

“Teach me how to do what you did earlier.”

 

_“Well you sound a lot more confident.”_

 

She wasn’t wrong; even he was surprised at how steady his voice was for that one. She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled him down for a kiss, slightly nipping at his bottom lip, before speaking in a husky whisper against his open mouth.

 

_“I like it. You're going to need to get the rest of my clothes off.”_

 

The blonde replaced his lips on her neck, hiding the new color gracing his features at the tone of her voice, reaching behind her to get at the zipper of her skirt. Confident. He was still confident. Zifeara _liked it_ . He pulled her skirt and underwear down all at once, tossing both off to the side and breaking his kiss to look her in the eye again. Trying not to think too hard about how they were both naked now. She was blushing as well, but Yoosung had a feeling it wasn't from embarrassment like he was. She softly took his hand and ran it down between them, pressing two of his fingers to something _very_ wet and radiating heat. Confidence lost. He was scared to look down.

 

_“Feel that? You want that to happen. The wetter I am, the easier this is. All that you're feeling right now? That's all because of you. All your fault~”_

 

Confidence back. Yoosung sighed as his body shook in anticipation. For _him_ ? She… Zifeara wanted this as badly as he did. This really was just like his dream; she wanted him and had no trouble showing it, but this felt _so_ much better in real life. She moved his fingers up to her clit, using her own excitement to make his digits move easier as she traced lazy circles around her nub.

 

_“This-ah, is a good way to get me off, but you'll need more than just that. It'll be ea-easier to figure it out for yourself through pra-ah-ctice, but that's how it works. Think you get it?”_

 

He nodded, unable to take his eyes of the blissful expression she was making. Zifeara removed her hand, leaving Yoosung to his own devices. And more questions than he wanted to admit. He settled on one.

 

“But, uh… you uhm, you didn't… use your… hands at all…”

 

_“Hahaha, what you can do with your fingers, you can do with your tongue, can you not?”_

 

His eyes widened. She had a point. Oh… good. No, he could do this. He hadn't done too badly with learn by doing so far. The blonde settled on going easy. He continued the motion his girlfriend had started, softly circling his fingers while he kissed a trail down from her neck to her stomach. He only looked up once to see if she was going to stop him before continuing further down. Setting himself in between her legs, he only had half a clue of how to start, but if this was anything like what she did to him, half was better than nothing.

He didn't allow himself time to stare this time before tentatively pressing his tongue to her slit and licking all the way up to her clit. Zifeara gasped and gripped at the sheets on his bed, making him grin smugly until he pulled his tongue back into his mouth and got a taste of her. That feeling was back. That hazy feeling of heat deep in his chest. Except this time, that feeling shot down much lower as well, making his hardening member jump. He did it again, slowly, savoring every second of contact between his mouth and her heat, wanting more of this new delicious treat. Not to mention the soft moan this drew from his girlfriend. That seemed to be all the motivation he needed.

Yoosung began licking in earnest, running his tongue in a ceaseless cycle between Zifeara's opening and her now increasingly sensitive clit, reveling in the twitches of her body and now prevalent noises she was making. _He_ was doing this to her. _He alone_ could see her like this. _He_ … was getting really hard again. Making her happy was literally and physically making him happy. This was some form of witchcraft he had never imagined was possible.

His brain once again had served him well. His curiosity got the better of him and lust stopped him from asking if this was something he should be doing. The blonde experimentally dipped his tongue into the wet hole he'd been skirting around this entire time. He was rewarded with a particularly sharp gasp and heavy shudder. And an increase in the ferocity with which Zifeara was holding onto the bedsheets. Yoosung felt like he just discovered the secret to the meaning of life. Without a second thought, he plunged his tongue in as far as it would go, exploring as if this was the most interesting dungeon he'd ever been in. He could _never_ say that out loud. Zifeara would probably slap him. He could feel the loud moan she uttered in the marrow of his bones and he did not need to ruin that. It wasn't long before she stopped him with a tap on his head.

 

_“Ah- Yoo-Yoosung.”_

 

He raised his lidded gaze away from his work, offering a very contented questioning hum.

 

_“Raise your right hand.”_

 

He did so, now a bit confused at what this had to do with anything.

 

_“Do this.”_

 

She made a fist, keeping her index and middle finger up and together. He mirrored her actions, tilting his head slightly.

 

_“Hahaha, you're so cute. Take those two fingers and and put them inside me.”_

 

He felt himself blush a little at the directness of her command, but he was a bit beyond acting on embarrassment now considering he'd had a majority of his face buried in her cunt a minute ago. He did as she asked, dick once again throbbing at the feeling of something so foreign and _magical_ about this whole sex thing. If that's what the inside of her felt like around his fingers… He wasn't sure who moaned louder, him or Zifeara, but the laughter that followed was definitely hers. He knew what she wanted from here. Yoosung gently pumped his fingers, eliciting another groan of pleasure followed by soft panting. God, she was going to give him a heart attack. Or at least kill him by sending 90% of the blood in his body to cock, which at this point was damn near painful with how turned on he was. Everything came to a screeching halt when she breathlessly spoke again in that husky tone he loved.

 

_“Oohhh, good boy~”_

 

Something inside the blonde snapped. He forgot how breathing worked. His body wasn't listening to him anymore. His digits stilled and with a choked noise he came all over his sheets. Before he even knew what he was doing, Yoosung scrambled with both hands to try to simultaneously contain the mess and prolong his orgasm. It was only once he failed at both that he looked up to find the source of the loud clapping noise he had barely noticed. Zifeara was staring at him, wide-eyed and with a hand over her mouth. _Now_ he was embarrassed.

 

_“O-oh… my god. Did I- did you just…”_

 

He hid his face behind the hand not covered in his own cum. He was never going to live this down.

 

“N-no! I mean- I just- I didn't… Zifearaaaaa…”

 

He felt the bed shift, signaling the loss of her weight from the other side. Great. She was disgusted at how completely _weird_ that was. He was a freak. She would _never_ have sex with him again. And he still hadn't even really **_done the sex_ **. Yoosung didn't expect to feel her fingers running through his hair, making him look up in surprise. She was holding a couple of paper towels out to him, a rather large grin plastered to her face.

 

“Y-you… I don't… uhm…”

 

Zifeara set the towels over his mess before using both hands to trail her fingers over either side of his jaw, bringing their faces so close together that he could feel her lips just barely miss hitting his.

 

_“Yoosung~ That was incredibly sexy, you know. I'm going to remember_ **_that_ ** _for later~”_

 

She climbed back up onto the bed, clearly waiting for him to sort his shit out. That… was… What part of his completely shameful lack of restraint was arousing to her? He cleaned his bed off as best he could before turning to his girlfriend again, now very uncomfortable and confused. She held her arms out, beckoning him to come to her. He warily crawled across the bed, stopping and sitting once he was close enough to place his head in her hands. Which evidently was not enough for her; Zifeara huffed and closed the gap between them, straddling him and looming intimidatingly over his thin frame.

 

_“Yoosung. You know I love you, right?”_

 

The blonde swallowed hard. Nothing in her tone signaled she was teasing him.

 

“Y-yes.”

 

She pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose.

 

_“That wasn't weird. Everyone has different things they like during sex. It's called a kink. You, my sweet, adorable puppy, have a praise kink.”_

 

“I… I do?”

 

He could swear Zifeara's eyes went from purple to black in an instant. He simultaneously loved and was terrified of the smile spreading its way across her face.

 

_“Mhm. And I have a feeling I know what one of your other kinks is, too. You like to be told what to do just as much as you like to be told what a_ **_good boy_ ** _you are for doing it._ **_Don't_ ** _you, puppy?”_

 

His jaw hung open from the sheer speed at which she had rendered him a mess. Oh yeah, her words definitely did _something_ to him. Yoosung had always wondered why her calling him ‘puppy’ made him feel so… excited. This made a lot more sense now. He made some sort of affirmative noise before she rather forcefully thrust her tongue into his mouth, effectively asserting her dominance over the situation again. She was about to teach him something else.

Yoosung ran his hands over her body numerous times, impressed at how quickly the grinding of Zifeara's hips against him and her enthusiasm for reaffirming the numerous marks on his neck and shoulders brought him back to nearly full hardness. He almost hadn't noticed when she ran one of her hands in between them, making for his cock. He tensed when he realized where she was going.

 

_“Relax. It's easier if I do this first so you have some idea of what you're doing later.”_

 

He tried to do as she instructed, but it was difficult once she gripped his length and stroked, coaxing a whimper from him. She smiled and licked along the shell of his ear, making him melt a little. He yelped as she brought her hips down hard, pushing a vast majority of his cock into her extremely wet heat. He shuddered. This felt even better than he thought it would. Zifeara placed her hands on his shoulders, using him as leverage to move slowly upwards, pausing only for a moment to establish eye contact before sinking back down and driving him into her right to the hilt. He didn't miss the light shudder and clench of her walls around him that resulted from the moan he gave.

She continued to move up and down, lips back to his to swallow the myriad of sounds he was producing for her. Once he had a little time to acclimate, Yoosung remembered he was supposed to be a participant. One of his hands found itself in her hair, pulling slightly just as she liked, the other decided to be adventurous and made its way to the bundle of nerves he had been working before he decided to embarrass the Hell out of himself. Zifeara gasped at having her clit touched while she fucked him, but it was evidently a good gasp; a hand shot from his shoulder to his hair, pulling his head backwards a bit and giving her a better angle to more feverishly work her tongue around his.

Yoosung would have bet money on this moment being the pinnacle of his existence; girlfriend that he was now completely certain he couldn't be anymore in love with heatedly working her tongue through every single inch of his mouth while riding him as though it was the one thing keeping her alive. The only thing snapping him out of the euphoria he found himself in was the fact that Zifeara seemed to be falling backwards. He tried to keep her upright, but she wound her legs around his waist and pulled. She was stronger than he was.

The blonde wanted to pull away to ask why in the world he was no longer allowed to be used for her pleasure, but the swift slap on the ass he received made him forget how to produce words as opposed to guttural noises. It also caused him to jut forward, delivering a sharp thrust into his very smug girlfriend. He wanted her to make _that_ noise again. Adjusting his hips a bit, Yoosung started rocking, keeping a steady but somewhat slow rhythm just in case he was doing something wrong. He was quite proud of himself that this didn't seem to be the case.

 

_“Mmm, ah! A little- little to your left? Hah! Oooh, yeah, right th-there! F-faster. Ah-ah yes! Good boy, Yoosung. Sssuch a g-good boy~”_

 

He moaned loudly again, resting his head on Zifeara's shoulder as he felt that push him closer to his limit. He was openly panting against her skin, a light layer of sweat gracing his flesh from the increased pace he had worked up to. He wasn't going to last much longer, but from the way her walls constricted and were trying to pull him as far in as possible with every thrust, she wouldn't either. He accidentally moved a little further over, but that one motion caused him to hit something good; Zifeara sucked in air so fast she couldn't make noise and simply dragged her nails down his back.

 

“Oh, g-god, Zifeara! Duh-do that again. Pl- _please_.”

 

She wasn't faring much better than he was. She was breathing too quickly to really give him an answer besides doing what he asked. As soon as he felt her nails dig into the top of his shoulders, he bit down on hers to keep himself from screaming too loudly from the overwhelming pleasure the sting brought. Once she had run her nails to his lower back, he felt something different. Zifeara got much tighter than she had thus far, almost preventing him from moving.

 

_“Yoosung! C-cum for me, puppy~!”_

 

He groaned into the patch of skin he still had his mouth over, slamming into her a few more times before obeying, vision blurring as he spilled himself inside her pulsing cunt. He unlatched his jaw, trying to regain his breath and sight… and brain function. That was the most rewarding and utterly _exhausting_ experience he had ever had the privilege to be part of. Zifeara shaking underneath him brought Yoosung back to reality. He was worried he’d hurt her for half a second before he realized she was quietly laughing at him. She looked _so_ damn smug.

 

_“Yeah? Was it that good?”_

 

“Huh? Wha… what do you mean?”

 

_“Hahahaha, Yoosung, you were cross-eyed for a minute!_ ”

 

“N-no! There's no way! I can't even cross my eyes!”

 

She continued to laugh as she pressed their faces together, nuzzling his nose and making him laugh too. It was a minute or two of laying this way before he realized with a bit of a blush that he was still technically inside her.

 

_“Pull out slowly and be ready for a Hell of a mess.”_

 

“Okay…”

 

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to be ready; he hadn't been ready for a solid 80% of _anything_ that had happened to him today. Yoosung just assumed she meant be aware that there would be quite a mess. She wasn't wrong; the amount of cum he was covered in was definitely more than he was expecting, especially since that was his _third_ go, not even the second. It would have been kind of hot if he hadn't noticed that there was something _missing_ from this equation. Zifeara had him too far lacking in the thinking department ever since last night, much the less when she started kissing him earlier. His face paled and she noticed.

 

_“Yoosung, are you okay?”_

 

He couldn't look at her. The blonde could only stare at what a huge mistake he'd made. She was going to be so mad. He was such a fuck up. He was gonna cry.

 

“I… I'm so s-sorry, Zifeara.”

 

She pulled his face up to make him look at her.

 

_“For what, hun? You didn't do anything wrong, that was really good for-”_

 

“Yes I did! I should have been paying more attention. I-I wasn’t… I c-. I didn’t… put a condom on. I d-didn’t think a-and-”

 

_“Hey. If that's the only thing you're worried about right now, it's a pretty good day. Let's get cleaned up and I'll tell you why I didn't mention it.”_

 

She… she knew? She knew and she just let him…? He did as she asked, helping her clean up the bed before grabbing his shirt and looking for his underwear. He was still upset, but he didn't miss the way Zifeara put his hoodie on over just her panties and nothing else. She took his shoulders and sat him back down on the couch, sitting beside him and taking a deep breath.

 

The way Yoosung was looking at her was murder; he just looked so disappointed in himself and she was pretty sure he thought he just ruined one of the best things to ever happen to him.

 

“Listen, don't be upset with yourself. I was well aware you didn't put a condom on and frankly I don't even know if you have any. It doesn't matter as long as you don't have an STD, which, yeah right.”

 

He went to open his mouth to protest, but she didn't give him the chance to say anything.

 

“It doesn't matter _because_ I have an… interesting medical condition. It isn't detrimental to my everyday life or anything, but basically my tubes don't line up correctly.”

 

_“You… your what?”_

 

“Hahaha, my fallopian tubes, the ones that go from my ovaries to my uterus, don't connect. My body physically cannot get my eggs from my ovaries to anywhere else. They're stuck there. I can't get pregnant without help from science. So it doesn't matter. That's why I didn't say anything. I was going to tell you about this earlier, but… It was hard enough to _get_ you to have sex with me, so I never really found a time to do that.”

 

_“You’re serious? That's… actually a thing that can happen?”_

 

“Yes, and I do really have it. It's kind of great, honestly. I don't have to worry about having kids before I'm ready and considering how much of a slut I've been-”

 

The choked noise Yoosung made stopped her and she raised an eyebrow.

 

_“I don't for a second believe that. Y-you being a- a…”_

 

“What, a _slut_?”

 

He nodded, but it would never not make her giggle to turn him red like that. Even though he'd been plenty embarrassed today, there was _always_ room for more. She made a mental note that he couldn't get that word past his lips and crossed her arms.

 

“Yoosung. How do you think I learned to suck a dick like that? It isn't as easy as I made it look, especially with as far back in my throat as I got you. I've been a slut since I was 17. You're welcome.”

 

He tried to stammer something, but didn't quite get whatever it was out. Zifeara laughed harder before moving to his side of the couch, pushing the blonde back down and laying on his chest.

 

“And if I do this _just_ right,”

 

She kissed up the side of his neck, causing him to hum. She could feel his heart beat faster underneath her hands.

 

“I'm going to make you into a slut too.”

 

***

 

_“I don't know, I just- how could he have- ugh!”_

 

Everyone was there except for their two most _scandalous_ members and Zen was pacing the floor. He was beyond irritated at Yoosung for pulling a stunt like he did last night, but more than that was pissed at how he could have put Zifeara through that. She must have been so embarrassed! Yoosung just took a picture like that and posted it into the chatroom! Not to mention what if she wasn't happy about…? God, this was awful.

 

_“Zen, chill. They've been dating for a little over two months now. I'm honestly surprised it took that long for them to get around to it, let them be happy,”_ Seven rolled his eyes as he was texting on his phone, his twin sitting quietly next to him.

 

_“As much as it pains me to do so, I must agree with Luciel,”_ Jaehee nodded, _“While they could have been a bit more… modest about it, they are adults and Zifeara is three years his senior. She has experience.”_

 

Zen howled, gripping at his hair, _“Experience?! How do you know, huh?”_

 

The woman cast a glance at him as she sipped her coffee, _“Well, being the only other woman in this group, we do talk about things that… are a bit more personal. We-”_

 

Everyone's heads turned as the bells over the cafe door chimed and they heard the familiar voice of a certain raven-haired beauty loud and clear, _“-stupid. I'm telling you, I love Vaporeon, it's my favorite water type, but you need something with more defence. Get a Lapras or an Azumarill.”_

 

“Yeah, I guess, I just don't really use ice types since I have my Raichu for flying types and my Ninetails for grass types. I guess I'll try Azumarill, can you get me an egg?” Yoosung was walking hand in hand with his girlfriend, making their way to the back corner of the cafe the RFA always sat at. They walked right past Zen as he stood staring with his mouth slightly open and sat down like nothing had happened.

 

_“Of course I can, but I will warn you; bloody Azurill evolves by friendship, so you should plant a ton of berries that you can shove down its throat the moment it hatches. Stupid thing is almost as bad as_ **_Pichu_ ** _in battle. Mornin’ guys,”_ Zifeara happily greeted them. They had slid into the long booth, placing her next to Saeyoung and leaving the spot next to Jaehee for Zen to frankly park himself.

 

The actor glared across the table at Yoosung, not wasting any time, _“_ **_You_ ** _! What is wrong with you?”_ He could clearly see several hickies up and down the younger man's neck.

 

The blonde opened his mouth to give what looked like defiance, but Zifeara beat him to it, _“Well nothing anymore.”_ Saeyoung snorted as she slipped the jacket she was wearing off, revealing the countless marks over her own neck and shoulders that were excessively visible past the straps of her dress. She set the garment in her lap and waited for Zen to take all of it in, failing to make words past his stuttering noises. Jaehee was staring at the clear imprint of Yoosung’s teeth on her shoulder and couldn't seem to move past that. Jumin looked like he was about to power down as if he was a robot who just couldn't deal with this today. Saeyoung laughed loudly, patting her on the back, _“Did he ask you to be gentle?”_

 

“S-Seven!” Yoosung was blushing only because of that, too proud of rubbing this in Zen's face to be embarrassed at first. Zen finally had his voice back.

 

_“Yoosung, h-how could you? You're supposed to be gentle with a lady! Zifeara, I told you men were wolves, I told you! You, you, you- ah! Why would you you let him-?”_

 

Zifeara laughed, the kind she gave when she was ruining someone who thought he was better than she was at LOLOL, leaning her head in one of her hands, _“You’re a curious boy, aren't you?”_

 

Yoosung clapped a hand over his mouth to stop from snickering at Zen who was too speechless over having something he had once said in the chatroom thrown back at him in such a way. This truly was the best 24 hours of the blonde's life. And surely it would only get better from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So before this, I've never written smut and I really hope it was okay. I know I had fun making it, so maybe that counts for something. The movie in question that some of you may have guessed is Sinister; I love it and the score is terrifying. The demon in it looks like Jim Root of the band Slipknot. Also, Zifeara will never take any of Zen's shit, especially not where her beau is concerned.
> 
> Also also: Your song for this chapter is [Rock Me](https://youtu.be/kgYcYyz4L-M) by Liz Phair. I listened to it a ton while writing this.
> 
> HEYO, WE GOT FANART. Thwippersnapple has graced us with a rather, uh, [nice drawing](https://thwippersnapple.tumblr.com/post/169473804862/yoosung-smut-here-yall) for this chapter... *blushes* They have done all my art and I love them.


	21. Family Matters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff, some smut, all nonsense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm going to start translating things being said in these fics cause it's easier that way. Gonna denote the translation with these {} because I like the way they look and why not! 
> 
> Your general song for the chapter is [Dirty Lovin'](https://youtu.be/LgPqksUSXuQ) by Cash Cash and I bet you can figure out what part it's for ;)

_“I swear to god if you don’t sit still, I’m going to glue you to that chair. Stop fidgeting.”_

 

He couldn’t help it, he’d been sitting there for an hour already and Zifeara still wasn’t done. Not to mention the… rather indecent way she’d positioned him. When she had asked if he wanted to help her with her art, this was _not_ what he thought she meant.

 

“Zifeara… this is sort of uncomfortable a-and kinda weird… I’m not sure if I can really do this anymore…”

 

Yoosung was sitting in his gaming chair, one arm hanging over the armrest and fingers relaxed, the other resting over his crotch, legs both splayed. Completely naked. He thought it had been odd enough when she had told him what she needed him to do because ‘lighting is a pain and I hate drawing humanoids’, but then again it sounded like what you see people doing in movies a lot. He was just a live model and that was sort of flattering. In theory.

 

_“Pumpkin, how is it weird? I see you naked damn near five times a week and I promised the pay off for this would be worth the wait. I’m almost done, it’s just that improvising is hard.”_

 

While she wasn’t… entirely wrong on that first part, it still made him blush to hear it come so nonchalantly. Just because he’d finally actually had sex didn’t make it any less embarrassing to think about. His finals and been last week and the lead up to them had been excessively stressful, meaning he had to find a way to deal with it before it killed him. As it would turn out, there was a very easy way to get rid of all of his anxiety at once. What Zifeara informed him was called ‘hate fucking’ was the cure all for everything. And this had been his first week of summer vacation, so he had nothing but time to spend with her… which actually didn’t help decrease any of their… activities. His neighbors really hated him now.

 

“Improvising what? I don’t think that I really leave much to the imagination right now…”

 

She raised her eyebrows at him over her tablet.

 

_“Dunno babe, do you think you can jerk off for me for the next twenty minutes and stay hard but still the entire time? Cause if you can, that’d be great.”_

 

It never failed to amaze him how many things Zifeara could just _say_ out loud to his face. Which had to be quickly approaching the color of a perfectly cooked lobster. He couldn’t help shrinking into himself a little.

 

“Wh- _what_?! What are you drawing?”

 

_“You’re ruining my angle! Relax back to where you were, please? I’m so close to finishing this damn thing, just be a good boy for fifteen more minutes and then I’ll show you.”_

 

He tried to do as she asked, but the heat wouldn’t leave his face. Not to mention the heat stirring somewhere else since she had to have purposefully said one of the many things she knew got him going. Thinking about how he had his hand right there anyway wasn’t helping. Hell, maybe he could be more helpful with her drawing. No way; there was no way he could just… go with her watching him like that. That was weird. Well, weirder than what he was already doing. Those next 15 minutes felt like forever, but Zifeara stopped drawing and looked back and forth from him to her tablet a few times before smiling.

 

_“Okay Yoosung, you can move now. Here.”_

 

She turned her tablet around and allowed him to take it from her so he could see the product of his discomfort. His mouth fell open. Sitting in his gaming chair was what looked almost like a werewolf; human looking body covered in fur with the head of a dog and a tail. The thing was stark white with a few red stripes here and there, like a tiger but not that thoroughly striped. He was masturbating, pleased look on his face and tongue lolling out his mouth like a real dog would.

 

“Zi-Zifeara, what… why would you draw this? What _is_ it?”

 

She took her tablet back and tapped away at a few things.

 

_“It’s called a furry, hun. Humanized animals of all shapes and sizes. I don’t usually do them since I hate drawing things in between people and animals because the anatomy bugs me, but Fang asked me as a favor for a friend. Which means he owes me now.”_

 

“And… you wanted me to pose for that? It looks nothing like me.”

 

_“He doesn’t, no, but his body does with the way the light causes shadows and looking at you I know where muscles are better. You’re thin and it helps. God, I’m glad to be done with that. Speaking of.”_

 

Zifeara set her tablet on the floor before getting up, leaning over him and making his chair creak as she pushed it backwards.

 

_“I think I owe you what I promised for doing this for me. What is it that you’d like, hmm?”_

 

He would probably never be able to answer her without stuttering when she was looking at him like she wanted to fuck him to death. It would be a death he would willingly accept. Yoosung had no idea where in the world the words falling out of his mouth came from, but man was he happy they’d showed up.

 

“S-strip for me. Slowly.”

 

She went from hungry to surprised, but ultimately laughed and backed up a little, fingers toying with the zipper on the jacket she had on.

 

_“Well, well. Maybe I should do this to you more often. Seems to make you forget how shy you are.”_

 

He wanted to give her a witty comeback, but that didn’t happen as Zifeara started slowly sliding the zipper down, revealing more and more skin as it went. She had showed up like this today. She hadn’t been wearing a shirt under this jacket the entire time. This had to have been why she was wearing it at all with how warm it was outside. Once the zipper was all the way down and unhooked, she brought the two sides of fabric together so that she could slide the jacket off one shoulder at a time. He had asked her to do this slowly, but he wasn’t expecting it to be torture instead of fun. It was an idea he had gotten from something he had on tv in the background while he had been studying, but he hadn’t really had enough self control to ask if his girlfriend would be up to it.

Once Zifeara dropped the jacket to the floor, she turned around, lazily running her hands over her sides and down towards the skirt she had on. Yoosung was pretty certain he was having that inevitable heart attack when she looked over her shoulder at him as she reached the hem of her skirt. She moved her hands purposefully back around herself and to the zipper on it, undoing that just as slowly as she had the one for her jacket, teasing him with a view of the pair of black underwear she had on. The really nice ones with the lace at the top… It was like she knew what he was going to ask for when she persuaded him to do this for her today. As she slid the skirt over her hips, Zifeara gave what had to be the most erotic undulation of her whole body to help ease it off that the blonde had ever seen. He hadn’t thought he’d seen porn stars move like that. Then again, he was probably at least a little biased.

Stepping out of her skirt and kicking it across the floor, she made a show of unhooking her bra where he couldn’t see anything once it had come off, still gazing at him over her shoulder. Zifeara had her hair up in a bun since she’d been drawing so it was out of her way, meaning he had an unobstructed view of the slender curve of her spine, right down to where her favorite pair of underwear framed the… the… tattoo he hadn’t noticed she had yet. He hadn’t been in a position to really see it before. She caught his look of confusion, returning it with one of her own.

 

“Zifeara… what is that?”

 

 _“_ **_Oh_ ** _… right. My uh, my tramp stamp. I had thought you’d already seen it by now...”_

 

He could feel his face burn harder at the unfamiliar terminology. It was only about the size of a quarter, so he wasn’t surprised he had managed to miss it with how distracted he usually was any time he could have noticed. The little sun looked oddly familiar. Kind of like the logo on everything related to a certain secret organization of criminals.

 

_“You wanna help me get these off when you’re done staring, cutie?”_

 

She wiggled her hips for emphasis on what she was referring to and suddenly her second tattoo didn’t exist in his mind anymore. He was already hard enough to go for it by now and he hadn’t even touched her yet. Yoosung jumped up from his chair fast enough that it slid across his floor and into his desk. His hands found her hips and his mouth started to place kisses up her neck.

 

_“Hahaha, you’re always so eager~”_

 

“Mmhmm. And you still manage to outdo yourself every time to make me this way. Nothing gets me going l-like you do.”

 

He slid her underwear far enough down that they fell to the ground on their own, pressing his cock against her ass to prove his point. She giggled and squirmed, turning herself around to press a firm kiss to his lips that instantly deepened. Every time they went to do this, it was like the first time it had ever happened to him; exciting and breathtaking, only now he knew what he was doing. As she worked to push her tongue further into his mouth, Yoosung pushed Zifeara backwards onto his bed, running one of his hands down to caress and lift one of her legs. After everything she had just done, he was in no mood to drag this out. Not for the first round, anyway. If he knew anything about his girlfriend, he knew to expect at least two.

 

“You okay to go already?”

 

_“Mhm. It was kinda hard to watch you get undressed for me earlier and draw you instead of fuck you. I’m plenty ready.”_

 

Oh god. Would she ever stop making it so hard for him to talk instead of babble? He settled for replacing his mouth on her shoulder to mask the complaint trying to seep out. Instead it turned into a groan as he pushed in, stilling for just a moment till Zifeara told him she was really ready. He only just started moving and he could already tell this wasn’t going to be a long round. He was too turned on for that. By the time he was panting, she flipped him over to be on top, clearly meaning to torture him at least a little bit more. She moved up and down along his cock, pacing herself with a purpose.

 

“Uh, ha, Zifeara, please. I wa-want to cum. F-faster.”

 

_“Haha, but Yoosung, you know I get off almost as m-much from the- way you beg me for it tha-than how good you feel inside me~”_

 

He did know that, but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing. If he wasn’t already sweating from the pace he had been at before she stopped him, the blonde was starting to over the color in his face. She leaned down, breath hot in his ear.

 

_“What do you want, puppy?”_

 

Yoosung could feel his building orgasm tighten, coiling ever closer to springing. Zifeara always knew exactly how to make everything better at just the right times. Part of a song echoed through the room and at first he thought he was imagining things. Till Zifeara leaned over to look at her phone on his nightstand.

 

_“Kuso {Shit}! That’s Kai, I can’t ignore him, it could be important.”_

 

He went to protest, but as she picked the phone up, she slammed onto him particularly hard, knocking any words he had right out. He only choked on air. She didn’t stop moving as she answered, either.

 

_“Hey, what’s up? No, not terribly, why? Mhm. Uh, can we do it maybe on Wednesday? Because Yoosung and I are going out tomorrow night. Yeah, he’s out for the summer.”_

 

How she was doing this he had no idea, but she clapped a hand over his mouth at the first whimper to make it past his lips. She was moving even more torturously slowly than she had been before so that she could hold a steady tone of voice, but it was killing him. Yoosung bucked his hips, causing Zifeara to almost drop her phone. She could tell he was grinning smugly under her hand.

 

_“N-no, I just tripped. So Wednesday works? Cool, we’ll both see you then. Aishiteru {I love you}, Fang.”_

 

She hung up, dropping the phone back to its former resting place and removing her palm from his mouth, bringing her face close enough to his that he could feel her lips grazing his.

 

_“Naughty puppy. I’m going to have to punish you for that.”_

 

“G-god I hope so.”

 

She licked her lips, digging her teeth into his shoulder as she moved her hips again, going at a pace that could almost make him cry. The string of half real words half garbled sounds that spilled from his mouth were so high pitched that he was almost ashamed of them for a second, but he didn’t have the time with as close as he was again. Just as Zifeara ran her tongue over the massive welt she’d just created, he felt her still again.

 

“N-no, puh-please don’t stop again- not again!”

 

He was whining now, far too desperate for release to care. She wanted him to beg and he would till he was blue in the face if it would get her to do that again.

 

 _“Yoosung…_ **_your_ ** _phone is ringing.”_

 

No it wasn’t. He couldn’t hear anything. He… had put it on silent earlier when Zifeara was drawing so it wouldn’t bother her. He watched as she picked it up, staring at the screen with wide eyes.

 

_“You better answer this… it’s your mom.”_

 

“What?!”

 

Oh no. Anything but this. He snatched the phone out of her hand, praying he didn’t sound nearly as out of breath as he really was.

 

“H-hey mom! I was just thinking of, uh, calling you later today. Everything okay?”

 

He didn’t miss the massive, sadistic grin carving its way across his girlfriend’s face. She could ruin his life right here and now and she knew it. She was on top and still had him inside her. He didn’t have even a fraction of the control over his noises in bed that she did. All he could do was mouth ‘don’t you dare’ and frantically shake his head. All she did was continue to smile.

 

Yoosung could hear his mom sigh before starting in on one of her famous lectures. Because **_of course she did_ ** . _“Don’t you lie to me Yoosung Kim, you haven’t called in months. I know you tend to get absorbed in your schoolwork and forget, but I haven’t heard from you in far too long. You know how I worry about you all by yourself and I just wanted to check on you. Are you eating properly? You better be keeping your room clean, I know you usually forget to when you're working on something. How were your grades last semester? It’s summer now and everyone would really like to see you, do you think you can come by for a visit or are you taking summer classes?”_

 

Zifeara had set out to punish him and by god was she determined to do it. He could feel her clenching her walls around him, not quite moving, but starting to test him. He was focused enough on what his mother was saying, but that didn’t make it any easier to try to stay quiet.

 

“M-mom, please, that’s too many questions! I uhm, I’m s-sorry I haven’t called in a while, things have been a little... hectic. If you want I can visit you soon, whenever is fine. We can talk then.”

 

Now Zifeara was moving, slowly enough not to cause him too much more of a problem that way, but it was how she was _looking_ at him. He knew the second he set the phone down, he was in for it. The thrill of doing this while he was on the phone with his mom _excited_ her.

 

_“Are you busy right now? Is that why you’re so eager to get me off the phone?”_

 

He could tell his mom was kidding, but he had never wanted to hang up on anyone more in his life.

 

“Um, actually, I was a little. Can I, uh, can I call you back t-tonight? Promise I’ll call at five?”

 

_“Well, alright, Yoosungie. You better or I will come over there myself, young man. I love you, baby.”_

 

Oh god, just kill him now. He could see Zifeara suppress a snicker. She could hear his mom.

 

“L-love you too, mom.”

 

Yoosung snapped his phone shut and threw it like it had just bit him. He put his hands over his face and let out the loudest, most frustrated groan he had ever managed. He never thought this would be something that could possibly happen to him. Zifeara was just laughing, one hand on her head and no longer moving since she couldn’t focus.

 

 _“Oh my god, that was amazing, hahahaha! You pulled it off, but your mom calls you_ **_baby_ ** _? Hahahaha, I’m so glad I didn’t pick_ **_that_ ** _to call you in bed, hahaha. Oh no, that was the best.”_

 

“I fucking hate you so much. Why did you have to-”

 

He looked through his hands to glare at her, but she just leaned forward.

 

_“Because I said I was going to punish you and you left yourself wide open for it. Now do you need a minute to calm down or can I finish with you?”_

 

If he was honest, no. He hadn’t lost much of the momentum they had been building right before his mom called. He’d have thought talking to her would have ruined it, but then again, he was 21.

 

“No… I uh, I think I can actually keep going…”

 

_“Haha, thought so. I promise I’ll stop being so mean.”_

 

As much as she made good on that promise, he still had to call his mom later to set up a trip home. And worry about what in the world his family would make of his new girlfriend. Since they would demand to meet her.

 

Yoosung had his head in his hands as he sat on his bed. He talked to his mom while Zifeara went to go pick up dinner for them from the Chinese place they liked. She had told him they’d go see his parents whenever, but his mother had flipped about him finally having a girlfriend. This was going to be awful. She sounded happy, yeah, but… he really didn’t want to do this. Not only that, but he knew his sister would be there too. If his mom didn’t kill Zifeara with questions, Ellsig would.

Lisa ran to the door, telling him Zifeara had returned and he got up to open it for her since she’d be carrying things. As per usual, she wouldn’t let him take any of the bags she was carrying for her, but there were only two so she didn’t have any trouble. Once all the food was laid out on the counter and he could get her to stop moving for a hot second, Yoosung grabbed Zifeara’s shoulders and tried to think of a decent way to ask this. Family wasn’t the easiest of subjects with her sometimes.

 

“Do you really want to meet my parents?”

 

That wasn’t quite as easy as he had hoped and sounded like too much pressure. He didn’t want her to have to go if she wasn’t ready for it.

 

“I- I mean, if you don’t want to yet, that’s fine, I’ll tell them something so that you can avoid it for now but…I definitely can’t get out of seeing them.”

 

 _“Yeah, I think I can handle that. I should probably wear less black though, right? It gives me an excuse to go shopping for a nice dress probably_ **_not_ ** _from Hot Topic. When are we going?”_

 

She looked so nonplussed that it threw him off a bit.

 

“Wait, you’re… you’re totally fine with that? We’ve been dating for less than three months and you’re a hundred percent fine with meeting my family?”

 

Zifeara shrugged. _“I guess. I can’t say I’m bouncing off the walls excited, but how bad can it be? From what you’ve told me, they sound nice and really… normal. Besides, it would have been my family that would have been the nerve wracking ones to be introduced to. Mine was weird.”_

 

As much as he wanted to be relieved, he only felt more nervous. That didn't sound like her; he knew how she'd treated her men before him and meeting family was nowhere on the table.

 

“I mean it, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. It can wait longer…”

 

Now she quirked one of her eyebrows and crossed her arms. _“Yoosung, do you not want to introduce me to your family or something?”_

 

“What- no, no of course not!”

 

He rubbed his hands up and down her upper arms, trying to stop himself from unnecessarily freaking out about the first girl he’d ever brought home. If he was lucky enough, Zifeara would be the only girl he ever brought home.

 

“I just know that family stuff isn’t something you usually like talking about or dealing with and I don’t want you to feel like you _have_ to do this, that’s all. My mom talks a mile a minute and likes to ask too many questions at once, my dad is really quiet to the point where you think he’s always judging you but he’s just really reserved, my sister is loud and is your best friend from second one till she determines if she actually like you or not… They’re a lot to deal with right from the start. I don’t want to push you into this and have it overwhelm you…”

 

She leaned her weight to one side. _“Pumpkin, did you forget that mingling with people I don’t want to is my job? I do it all the time and with a purpose; meeting my boyfriend’s family is nothing comparatively. Plus I’m inclined to like your family since now they’re kinda mine too.”_

 

They… they kind of were. Yoosung could feel himself flush a little at the implication of what she just said. If she already thought of his family as her family, then… She definitely noticed the new color in his face and could probably guess his thought process. Zifeara moved his arms so that she could wrap hers around his waist and rest her head on his shoulder.

 

_“Besides, you met Kai and he likes you, so that was probably the hardest part. I’ll be fine.”_

 

“Wait, Fang likes me?”

 

_“Hahaha, of course he does, Yoosung. What made you think he didn’t?”_

 

If he was honest, nothing really, but there hadn’t been any indication that Fang _did_ like him either. He let himself slump his weight onto her and his arms hung limply.

 

“Uhm, I don’t know, I just… I never got the feeling he was more than ‘okay’ with me. Like he tolerates me because you like me.”

 

 _“Yoosung, that’s ridiculous. Fang absolutely likes you. Any time we play games together, he doesn’t complain about you any more than I do, I’ve only seen him glare at you maybe once since he met you, and he doesn’t use Japanese around the two of us a lot. He’d be talking shit about you right in front of your face if he hated you. He always does. Plus on the phone earlier, he asked if you_ **_and_ ** _I wanted to come hang out at his club this week. If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t have invited you at all. He’s a brat when he wants to be.”_

 

That at least got him laugh a little.

 

“Did you say we were going Wednesday?”

 

_“Yeah, since we’re seeing that movie tomorrow. We could do both, but since we have all this time, we shouldn’t have to. Tell you what, you’ve been kind picking up Japanese from me anyway, yeah?”_

 

He had, here and there. Most of it was either swearing from LOLOL or… swearing from something else, though.

 

“Kinda, but nothing pleasant. The only times you say something in Japanese or even English around me is in game or in bed. Not- not that I’m complaining, but…”

 

He could feel her laughing, her whole body shaking, but she was quiet.

 

_“Alright, fair enough. Repeat after me. Anata no imōto wa atsuidesushi watashitachi wa totemo sekkusu shite imasu.”_

 

Yoosung straightened up, staring incredulously as he didn’t catch a _word_ of what Zifeara had just said to him.

 

“O… Okay, say that again and way slower. And then tell me what that means.”

 

She did, repeating the phrase several more times and in pieces until he could say almost all of them without her saying it first.

 

_“I just taught you something you can say to Fang to impress him. He has no clue you’ve been picking up Japanese. You just said ‘I respect you a lot and am honored to be your brother.’ Because by all relationship means, you’re kinda his brother-in-law now, just without being an actual in-law. Just practice saying that right and on Wednesday, tell that to Kai. He’ll never see it coming.”_

 

Zifeara was smiling rather widely and had a gleam in her eye that was making him feel a bit better. She was excited for this. It made sense for her to want her boyfriend and her brother to get along, so it was the least he could do if she was really willing to come meet all his family.

 

“I’m going to be able to say this so well, you’d think I was born in Japan. Come on, let’s eat before all of this gets cold.”

 

They sat down after getting what they wanted from the spread Zifeara had brought back and she took that time to ask him how much of what she had said in English and Japanese he could repeat to her. He could definitely say ‘fuck’ in both languages, as well as ‘shit’, ‘yes’, and ‘idiot’. After that he actually didn’t pick up as much as she thought he had. Now the prospect of teaching him was something she was looking forward to. They decided to start with English since that was technically her first language.

She asked what he wanted to know how to say first and that ended in her teaching him ‘I love you’, ‘You look beautiful’, and the miscellaneous words of ‘cat’, ‘paladin’, ‘computer’, and ‘veterinarian’. The translation for his future career probably took the most work since it was so much longer in English, but by the time they were washing dishes, Yoosung could say it fairly well.

 

“Oh, duh! I was going to ask you how to say my name!”

 

Zifeara looked sideways at him.

 

_“What, ‘shooting star’? Uhhh… it sounds way better in Korean, I promise. In English, it’s two words.”_

 

“Aw, c’mon, I want to hear it anyway. How do you say Yoosung?”

 

She pronounced the English words for ‘shooting star’ and they did sound a little odd, but then she said a word that sounded even worse.

 

_“That’s the word for meteor, which people use sort of interchangeably. I told you it was prettier in Korean.”_

 

“Well, hahaha, you were right. Ooh, ooh, say it in Japanese! It’s got to be nice in Japanese at least… right?”

 

_“Haha, alright, alright.”_

 

Zifeara dried her hands off and slipped them over his hips, making him turn to face her. Since he had been drying the dishes, he tossed his towel on the counter in favor of draping his arms over her shoulders to press their foreheads together. Zifeara only spoke once their lips were at most a few inches apart.

 

_“Nagareboshi.”_

 

“Wow… That’s… really pretty, actually. I like it.”

 

She giggled slightly when he repeated the English for ‘you look beautiful’ almost correctly.

 

 _“_ _Anata wa kawaī koinudesu.”_

 

He must have given a questioning look since she laughed harder but immediately translated.

 

_“‘You are a cute little puppy’.”_

 

Yoosung inadvertently groaned.

 

“You’ve gotta stop doing that just out of nowhere… You know what that does to me. God, it sounds… even better in another language.”

 

Zifeara wrapped her hands all the way around him to cup his ass, turning them both around so she could lean back on the counter.

 

_“I do, as a matter of fact. No one said I wasn’t doing it on purpose. Want to learn something else?”_

 

He really, really did.

 

“Y-yes…”

 

She leaned in and pressed her mouth to his neck, leaving less than light kisses all the way up till she reached just below his ear. When she spoke, she had _that_  tone again. That impossibly low, mind-meltingly sexy tone he didn’t think he’d ever get used to.

 

_“Watashi wa anata ga watashi to fakku shitai.”_

 

He swallowed hard. He really hoped that meant what it sounded like it might.

 

“Th-that… sounds really, _really_ d-dirty…”

 

_“Mhm. Want to hazard a guess or would you like me to say it in the language you do know?”_

 

Yoosung still couldn’t exactly look at her with where she was, but he didn’t think he needed to to know that two rounds had not been enough for her today. God she was going to kill him.

 

“No, I- I think I’d like for… for you to say it.”

 

_“Watashi wa anata ga watashi to fakku shitai. ‘I want you to fuck me.’”_

 

“Kuso…”

 

Zifeara laughed, the throaty sound reverberating in his own chest and stirring the arousal he’d thought he’d exhausted by now.

 

_“You are a fast learner~ Come on, I think we could probably use a shower too. Why not get both out of the way at the same time?”_

 

***

 

God he was almost nervous. He really shouldn't be considering they were just headed out to a place he'd never even thought about going and meeting more of Zifeara’s friends whose names he had never heard before and socializing with her terrifying big brother who had threatened to _shoot_ him… Yeah ok, he kind of had a few reasons to be a bit on edge.

 

“Zifeara, does this really look okay? Be honest, I mean it!”

 

She was still in the bathroom, perfecting whatever she was wearing tonight, but Yoosung could hear her shouted response just fine from where he was fidgeting on her bed.

 

 _“Yoosung, babe, you look adorable. You act like you're meeting the queen of England for fuck’s sake, relax. It's just bloody_ **_Fang_ ** _and a few of my girlfriends. These are the most normal people I know!”_

 

He wanted to say something else, but it slipped his mind the second Zifeara stepped out of the bathroom to shush him. She had a red plaid mini skirt on under a snug-fitting black top that had a large white star in one corner. She hadn't put on too much makeup either; just some bright green eyeshadow and what looked like slightly purple lip gloss. She looked _amazing_. His brain short circuited and he said the only words he could remember right now.

 

“Ha… Anata ni muchuu na no {I'm crazy about you}…”

 

She smiled brilliantly and dropped herself into his lap, throwing her arms over his shoulders and nuzzling her nose to his.

 

_“You're getting really good at that, you know. I'm so proud of you~”_

 

“I- I mean, I know only, like, five sentences, max…”

 

_“Oh hush, your pronunciation of those five sentences is damn near spot on. Just let me tell you you’re doing well! Hush and come on, we gotta go or we’re going to be late!”_

 

Zifeara got up, making her way towards the door and saying goodbye to Oxide as she left. As Yoosung left the room, he couldn’t help it. He ducked into the guest bathroom to check himself over in the full length mirror one more time. He had his only pair of black jeans on, a white long sleeved shirt with bars of primary colors across it in different directions, and that white zip up jacket with the star on it. His favorite hair pins were still perfectly in place, glittery yellow stars getting somewhat lost in his blonde hair. He was really glad he didn’t exactly have to wear his glasses anymore though; he already had one of only two surgeries he needed to correct his vision a week or so before his finals, so he was able to see almost completely fine out of his left eye again. He still had a deadspot in his periphery and needed glasses to read anything further away than an arm's length well, but just hanging out was no problem. This was the time it was really nice having rich friends. Especially rich friends whose brother nearly put your eye out in the first place and felt super guilty about it. Zifeara’s voice from downstairs snapped him back to attention.

 

_“Yoosung Kim, move your cute little ass! Tanomu, isoide kure?”_

 

He tore himself away from the mirror, taking the stairs two at a time.

 

“What did you just ask me?”

 

He laced their fingers together once he got to the bottom as Zifeara held her hand out for him.

 

_“I said ‘Hurry up, will you?’ God damn boy, I keep telling you that you look fine. You’re so much fussier than I am, hahaha.”_

 

He grumbled about wanting to look nice for her friends as they got into the car, not getting any respite from her teasing. By the time they actually made it to their destination, The Wave was already open and people were going through the front doors. Once Zifeara parked, she pulled her phone out of the center console of her car, texting rapidly.

 

_“Oh yeah, we’re late, babe. Girls are already here.”_

 

Yoosung would not apologize for making certain he looked alright. These were probably the last people Zifeara had to introduce him to that he had to make a good impression on. Once they got out of the car, she handed him her phone and a few other things.

 

_“Welcome to boyfriend duty; you have pockets, you carry my shit.”_

 

While he gave her an indignant look, he did suppose that was fair enough. It wasn’t like anywhere they went he got to pay for anything, so being a proverbial pack mule wasn’t a lot to ask of him. He stowed her things but when he looked back up to where they were going, he almost stopped walking. Probably the largest human being he’d ever seen was guarding the door to the nightclub, looking lost in thought. The massive bald man looked twice Fang’s mass, maybe only an inch taller, but was nothing aside from pure muscle. This man was a wall.

 

_“Heyo, Vhans! Long time no see, big man!”_

 

The hulking figure turned and offered Zifeara the brightest smile. _“Zifeara!_ **_Has_ ** _been long time! Come in and- wait, who is friend?”_

 

Yoosung had no idea where in the world this guy was from, but he had never heard broken Korean in that kind of accent before. On autopilot due to how dumbfounded he was, Yoosung offered his hand. Odds are, that was polite.

 

“Yoosung Kim. Zifeara’s boyfriend…”

 

The big man shook it, making him feel even smaller. He could fit both his hands in only one of the bigger man’s.

 

 _“Vhans Kurishka. Before you ask, is Russian. Accent is Russian.”_ He had a large smile on his face.

 

Yoosung could feel his face flush. He wouldn’t have asked, but… Zifeara grabbed his hand and started to move into the club. _“_ _Do svidaniya_ _, Vhans! Say hi to your wife for me!”_

 

The bouncer nodded, returning to his stiff standing position and alert for anyone else about to enter. As they made their way down a dark hallway and he could start to _feel_ the music coming from the interior of the club, something occurred to the blonde.

 

“Does he usually not check people’s IDs? I thought that was what he was there for?”

 

Zifeara laughed and flashed him a smile.

 

_“Babe, everyone here knows who I am. If you’re with me, you’re set. ‘Sides, I know Fang. It’s cool.”_

 

He shrugged, not really minding too much. It made him feel like an adult since everyone always assumed he was way too young to even drink. The hallway let out into a massive area already pretty packed with people, silhouettes flashing in time with the beams of colored light moving around the room. One portion off to the side near the bar was a lounge, round couches set up with short tables and half wall partitions around them to somewhat create booths. In the middle of the spacious dance floor sat a raised platform surrounded by speakers. On that platform stood Yoosung’s new brother, hands moving like mad as he worked all of his sound equipment to produce the beat thrumming through the air. Yoosung wanted to watch Kai play since he’d never seen someone DJ before, but the tug on his hand snapped him out of his awe.

 

Zifeara had to shout over the music to be heard. _“Come on, my friends are at that table over there!”_

 

She used her other hand to point as she made him move forward, and he followed her finger to the table in question. Was there ever going to be anything normal when it came to Zifeara? The three women sitting around their chosen meeting place were all different levels of stunningly attractive. One was short and had a blonde pixie cut, hair perfectly framing her petite features, the next was a more average kind of beauty; beauty in simplicity. Her brown hair was pulled up and into a tight bun, all the angles of her face the perfect mixture of sharp and soft, just very… pleasant. She was probably Zifeara’s height, but a little heavier. And then there was the girl on the end. Oh man. She was _Zen_ levels of attractive. She was excessively tall, her long white hair flowing from the high ponytail cresting her head, body lithe and very well… proportioned. He could already feel his face heat up. He was going to die having to spend all night here.

 

Zifeara stopped short, turning and putting her face close to his. _“Shit, I almost forgot; do not stare at Loli. She gets really self conscious.”_

 

Before he could ask which one that was, they were moving again and Zifeara waved, the short blonde spotting them. All three now looked to them and smiled, scooting over in the booth so they could sit down. Yoosung was on the end so that Zifeara could be next to her friends, but that also made it easier for all three of them to stare expectantly at the same time.

 

 _“Alright, let’s make this easy.”_ Zifeara started and pointed to the closest girl to her, the other blonde. _“Sara Finnigan,”_ now to the brunette, _“Hawke Baker,”_ and finally the female Zen, _“Lolliva VanPelt. She goes by Loli. Ladies, this is my new boyfriend, Yoosung Kim.”_

 

They all smiled and greeted him, but Loli was the first to give him a questioning look. _“Wait, like_ _yuseong, Yoosung?”_

 

He gave an easy smile.

 

“Y-yeah, my parents kinda had a thing for astronomy when they had my sister and me… Hers is Ellsig… Haha, shooting star and solar eclipse…”

 

He felt like he was over-sharing, but Zifeara elbowed him in the ribs. _“You didn’t tell me your sister had a space name too!”_

 

Sara was the next to speak. _“That’s pretty cool! None of us are really from here, so we don’t have fun Korean names, haha! Zifeara, what is up with you? He doesn’t look anything like what’s normally on your menu~?”_

 

Zifeara glowered at her friend, though all three girls raised their eyebrows. Oh yeah, he was dead. _“You wanna say that any_ **_more_ ** _like he isn’t_ **_right here_ ** _, Sara? Don’t be a bitch.”_

 

She shrugged and held her hands up in surrender, but Hawke picked up right where she’d left off. _“Sara has a point. How much younger than her are you, Yoosung?”_

 

His face was getting well into flushed, he knew it.

 

“Uhm, th-three years…”

 

Sara whistled. _“_ **_Wow_ ** _. Zifeara, you cradle robbing slut.”_

 

His girlfriend knocked sideways, ramming her shoulder into Sara’s which carried on down the line, making them all laugh. _“Shut up! He’s smart, funny, and super sweet. If you’re going to keep picking on him like this, we don’t_ **_have_ ** _to sit around with you, you know! Uzēndayo {fuck off}!”_

 

They all let well enough alone, opting to ask him reasonable questions. The more he talked, the easier it got, though he was starting to notice a few things. He was pretty sure Hawke didn’t like him. Her voice almost never varied in pitch and she seemed to have something sarcastic or teasing to say to everything. Sara was as much of a flirt as Zifeara was and had no problem speaking seemingly whatever came to mind. Loli was bouncy in personality and very animated when she talked, but he could see why Zifeara told him not to stare. If he held eye contact for too long while she was speaking, she’d look away, pointedly watching her own hands or the table. Yoosung was pretty sure he liked her the best.

 

It couldn’t have been more than 20 minutes before Zifeara saved him from the interrogation. _“Alright, who wants to go get drinks and actually let Fang know we’re here? Yoosung has never been to a nightclub before.”_

 

 _“Never?”_ He didn’t like the way Sara was looking at him. He shook his head.

 

 _“Well then we better make sure you have fun!”_ Loli got up from the couch, waiting for everyone else to get up so they could head to the bar. Each of them had a shot before commiserating on the best way to get Fang’s attention since the place had only been open for a little over an hour and he wouldn’t be taking his break any time soon.

 

Zifeara of course had an answer. Someone had left the bottle cap to their beer on the bar and the barkeep hadn’t collected it yet, so she grabbed it and held it in a very specific way in her hand. She eyed the DJ, rotating her wrist this way and that, closing one of her eyes. She looked like she was about to snap her fingers, but the cap was in the way. It stayed in the way until she did indeed snap, flicking her wrist and sending the bottle cap soaring across the room at speed. It glanced off of Fang’s head, making him flinch and glare towards the bar. All four girls waved, laughing at Zifeara’s good aim.

Yoosung expected Fang to be mad, but the smile he gave was one he did recognize. It promised revenge. Fang moved a few things around, causing the song that had been playing to fade out and a second to come in at full force.

 

 _“That little shit…”_ Zifeara was glaring at her brother as he stuck his tongue out at her through his teeth, but she was grinning. _“He knows[I like this song,](https://youtu.be/luEOJIw5lk8) but he always plays it when I annoy him.” _

 

Yoosung couldn’t help but laugh. That seemed like such a sibling thing to do with the sort of power Fang had here.

 

Loli moved away from the bar, turning to face all of them. _“Well, no better time to dance then, right? Ready to go?”_

 

Sara stepped up to her friend’s side, making the height difference look incredibly endearing. _“Oh, let’s do this! You planning on sharing, Zifeara?”_

 

At first he was confused, but when Zifeara slipped her arms around his waist and leaned her head over his shoulder, he understood what the other girl had asked now. _“I see how it is; you make fun of my boyfriend till all the real fun starts. What’ll you give me for him?”_

 

“W...what?”

 

Did he just hear her right? There was no way she just said what he thought she had. It was too loud in here.

 

Sara put a finger to her mouth, faking deep thought. _“Hm… Loli and I can take you out to dinner next week. That neat place with the huge aquarium you like?”_

 

Oh no. No, no, no. Zifeara wasn’t serious about-

 

 _“Oh shit, I haven’t been there in ages. I can have whatever I want?”_ Zifeara’s hands moved till they were only on his hips, holding him in place in front of her. Not letting him wriggle out of her grasp.

 

“Zifeara, tell me you aren’t-”

 

Loli dipped her head. _“Anything at all!”_

 

 _“Deal.”_ Zifeara pushed him forward right into Sara, who grabbed his arms and started to walk backwards into the throng of people dancing. Loli came up behind him and cut off any escape he had, smiling down at him. Yoosung shot his girlfriend a panicked look, only receiving a wink before she turned back to Hawke to carry on the conversation they’d been having. He was now trapped between two very attractive women and Zifeara _put him there_. She was… she was testing him. There was no other reason for this.

 

 _“Don’t worry, cutie, we’ll teach you how to have fun~”_ Sara was now his least favorite. He did _not_ like the way she said that.

 

Loli just about picked him up out of Sara’s arms. This woman was a solid 4 inches taller than he was. The motion made the shot in his stomach flip and he could feel the alcohol working its way to his head.   _“Oh, Sara, don’t be so mean. You know what Zifeara said. We have to be gentle with the little muffin~ Huh, sweetie?”_

 

Yoosung had to assume she expected an actual response. He swallowed, trying to cure his drying mouth.

 

“Please put me d-down. I’m not a child…”

 

 _“Hmm? Oh, sorry, I didn’t…”_ Loli looked embarrassed, but did lower him an inch or two to the floor. _“I forget I’m so…”_

 

 _“Freakishly tall? You and Fang both. C’mon, Romeo, let’s see if you can dance worth anything.”_ Sara once again took control of his arms before he could do anything about it, spinning him around her fast enough to make his head spin with him. The [song that came on](https://youtu.be/DkdrnMMYw0k) wasn’t doing him any favors; both Sara and Loli gasped and pressed close to him, not enough to be entirely inappropriate, but he wasn’t going anywhere. Fang _must_ have seen what was happening and decided to torture him too. There were too many people on the dancefloor to even see more than a glimpse of his actual girlfriend from time to time. She seemed absorbed in whatever she was saying to her remaining friend. This was not how he wanted tonight to go.

 

 _“So are you ever going to save him? Cause you know those two can do this all night.”_ Hawke was giving her a mischievous smile.

 

Zifeara returned her grin, glancing at her poor boyfriend from the corner of her eye.

 

“Yeah, at some point. I know he won’t do anything to save himself; he’s too worried about insulting you guys, but it’ll make him appreciate me more when I do go get him. I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m testing his resolve to behave himself right now.”

 

_“Shut up, we all know you just like to fuck with him. You mess with all your guys, whether you intend to keep them or not.”_

 

“I mean, you aren’t wrong, haha. I know he’ll pass though. Eh, I’ll let him suffer Sara’s attention till the end of this song. Ready to go out yet?”

 

Her friend nodded and they waited till just before the end of the current song to start moving through the crowd of people. Yoosung looked significantly less uncomfortable ever since Loli put herself in between him and Sara, gently smiling at him once in a while while dancing, but as soon as Zifeara tugged the sleeve of his shirt to pull him into her, his relief was palpable. He straight up melted into her.

 

“Miss me, Blondie?”

 

He sighed as he instinctively curled himself around her. Before pouting in that adorable way of his. _“I’m mad at you. Why would you do that to me?!”_

 

Zifeara laughed, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

 

“Because you were being a brat earlier. You made us late. Plus you’re really cute when you have no idea what to do with girls. It’s funny~”

 

As much as he didn’t appreciate what she was saying, he shut right up when she brought her face close to his ear and used her bedroom tone.

 

“I’ll make it up to you later. Come on, you can enjoy yourself now. I think Fang is about to-”

 

Sure enough, Kai must have noticed that all of them were now present and ready to dance because one of her favorite songs started. She glanced up to him, finding her brother smirking and feeling him pump the bass more than usual. He could be fun for how much of a shit he was.

She started to move to the beat of the music, watching Yoosung’s eyes widen as she took his hands and placed them on her hips. She was going to make him have fun, damn it. Zifeara felt Loli and Hawke sidle up to her and saw Sara bump against Yoosung’s back, making the boy press in close. All four girls loved [this song and started to sing the lyrics](https://youtu.be/_F-HhJ2uTFE) to it just as nearly _everyone else_ in the club did. This one was a crowd favorite here. It wasn't too much longer of dancing to her favorite songs while moving just seductively enough before Yoosung got into this whole ‘club’ thing. By the time the girls wanted to go back to the bar, he was bright eyed and refused to let go of his girlfriend for even a second. He had become well aware that his eyes weren't the only ones skimming her body. After he took his second shot, one such pair of eyes were on her again and he was going to do something about it.

Zifeara was drinking a concoction strong enough that he could smell it while talking to Loli about something she was drawing when she suddenly wasn't looking at her friend anymore. Yoosung spun her around, pinning her to the counter of the bar, looking off to his left, but wrapping his arms protectively around her waist. She followed his gaze till the other man in question turned his wide eyes away.

 

_“Forget what I said, I don't like it here.”_

 

The blonde’s voice was low and had an edge to it she was unfamiliar with. Zifeara caught the looks her friends were giving, ranging from Sara trying not to laugh to Loli clearly thinking it was sweet he was so protective. They knew what was happening. She was going to have to do something about this. She turned his face till his violet eyes met hers

 

“Yoosung, pumpkin, look at me. You remember me telling you I used to sleep around a lot?”

 

Yoosung was still glowering, but nodded.

 

“Well they all recognize me. They know I'm a slut. They aren't going to stop staring. However, I don't want that to be what you focus on for the rest of the night. I'm going home with you and none of them can have me. Relax for me, yes? Go back to having fun? I'm yours, end of story.”

 

It took a moment or two for his expression to soften, but when it did, Zifeara noticed Yoosung was a bit… unstable. He pressed their foreheads together rocking forward a little.

 

_“You're right. I'm sorry, I promised I'd stop being so…”_

 

“Hahaha, babe, I made you promise to stop being like that about our _friends_. I don't give half a shit about some random assholes. Hell, you could come just shy of dry humping me on this bar and I wouldn't be mad.”

 

She figured that would embarrass him, but there was something else going on. His usually vibrant eyes seemed to turn a shade or two darker and pressed himself closer if that was even possible at this point.

 

_“Don't tempt me, muffin. You look too cute in that skirt to tease me like that.”_

 

Zifeara raised a brow. What… what happened to Yoosung Kim? Her friends were giggling amongst themselves, though she knew they were too far away to hear what had transpired between them over the music. This was unprecedented. He may be getting more comfortable with her and the things they got up to when left alone, but he still had a hard time saying the _word_ ‘sex’ out loud, much the less make such lewd implications.

 

“Yoosung, are you-”

 

The looming figure behind them made Zifeara forget what she was about to say. Raising her eyes, she met ruby red, a smirk on Fang’s face as he stood there with his arms crossed. He'd come to spend his break with them. _“Am I interrupting something?”_

 

“Kai!”

 

Though the answer was clearly yes, she moved Yoosung over so that he'd release her to hug her sibling. Zifeara was excited to see him for sure, but she was more excited for what she knew was coming.

 

Fang let go, getting his barkeep to mix him something before greeting each of their other friends. Drink in hand, he turned to Yoosung last, offering his hand to shake. _“Hey little man, what's going on? Heard you passed all your exams!”_

 

Kai knew damn well the nickname irked the blonde, but he claimed it was his right as a protective brother to give Zifeara’s boyfriend at least _some_ shit at all times. Plus with Fang, almost everyone was little.

 

Yoosung at least seemed to remember he wanted to be on Fang’s good side, so he let it go, shaking the older man’s hand. _“Yeah, I did actually. It would have been a lot harder if Zifeara didn't help me study, hahaha.”_

 

Fang’s eyes grew owlish and he turned to her. _“I'm sorry,_ **_you_ ** _? Study for anything? You must be_ **_really_ ** _into this boy to study!”_

 

Zifeara crossed her arms and leaned back on the bar. “Okay, first of all, no shit Sherlock, what was your first clue, secondly, you know I was straight A’s in high school, fucker. Just because I was always in trouble doesn't mean I didn’t do great.”

 

She shot Yoosung a glance, noting the way his eyes lit up. He remembered he had something to say to Fang and this was the perfect segway. _“Actually, Zifeara has been teaching me an awful lot.”_

 

Fang raised an eyebrow, taking a mouthful of his drink. He was hoping the blonde just had poor wording. Yoosung stood up taller, huge smile on his face as he rocked on his heels a little. _“Anata no imōto wa atsuidesushi watashitachi wa totemo sekkusu shite imasu!”_

 

Kai choked on the alcohol running down his throat. He folded, spitting everything in his mouth out towards the floor before gasping for air and coughing harder. Zifeara had never seen someone do a _real live spit-take_ before and it was the best thing she'd ever been a part of. She hadn't imagined this would happen two days ago.

Yoosung looked _scared_ . He had expected some heartwarming moment between him and his newfound brother, not flailing and near death experiences. Zifeara was barely containing the hard laughter threatening to explode from her lungs. This was _priceless_. Fang straightened out, regaining his bodily functions and full on glared at the blonde. Zifeara’s girlfriends were understandably confused; none of them spoke Japanese but she made a discreet motion for them to just wait.

 

Fang’s blood red eyes bore into the much smaller boy and he _towered_ the full 9 inches over the blonde. _“What the_ **_fuck_ ** _did you just say to me?”_

 

At the realization that if she let this go any further there would be blood and she'd need a new boyfriend, Zifeara let it out. She laughed harder than she had in probably months. “Ahahaha, ah, ah, not what, hahaha, he thought he did! Hahahahaha!”

 

Kai slid his gaze sideways to look at her, but Yoosung was still slightly cowering, unable to tear his eyes from what he was certain would be the last thing he saw, hands held in front of him in a gesture of submission. Kai was just shy of growling. _“What did you tell him that meant, you whore?”_

 

As far as anyone knew, Fang was the only one who could talk to her like that. Once she contained herself, Zifeara wiped the tears from her eyes. “Ah, fuck… ‘I respect you a lot and am honored to be your brother.’ He meant well, honestly, Kai.”

 

Fang let the tension ease from his posture a little, closing his eyes pinching the bridge of his nose. _“And you believed her!?”_

 

Yoosung could tell that was directed at him. _“She… she was t-teaching me some Japanese… a-and English. I was really… worried you hated me, so…”_

 

The older boy opened his eyes and gave the blonde a sympathetic look. _“Well if I didn't before, I would have after that.”_

 

 _“W… What does that mean?”_ Yoosung still had sad puppy eyes at the moment.

 

Kai’s expression softened as he adopted an amused grimace. _“You just told me my sister is hot and that you two have a lot of sex.”_ The corners of his mouth twitched a little. There was an almost visible vein in his neck from how hard he was trying not to be angry anymore.

 

Now all four girls were laughing. Sara was leaning on the bar so she didn't fall over, Hawke and Loli were leaning on each other, and Zifeara had a hand over her eyes. All the color was gone from Yoosung’s face and he flinched when Fang set a heavy hand on his shoulder. _“I don't hate you. She's a bitch to everyone and it looks like you're on the menu today. Good luck, you picked her.”_

 

Zifeara moved forward to scoop the blonde into her arms, nuzzling her face into his neck. “I'm s-sorry, hahahaha. I couldn't help myself! Your pronunciation was spot on, babe. It was perfect, haha.”

 

He was speechless for only a moment before pushing her a little ways away to glare. _“You_ **_knew_ ** _I was nervous about this! Why would you do that!?”_

 

“Hahaha, because love, the easiest way to get Fang to like you is through a well executed joke. And by making him hate me instead. See?”

 

Looking back to Kai, he had his head in his hand and his shoulders were shaking. It was only a few seconds before he started laughing, joining in on the hilarity of the situation. This carried on with Yoosung just staring blankly for a moment before Fang seemed to regain himself. He looked at Yoosung again, genuine smile on his face as he extended his hand once more. _“What you wanted was: watashi wa anata o takusan sonkei shi, anata no kyōdaidearu koto o kōei ni omotte imasu. But I appreciate the effort, little man. I promise I don't hate you.”_

 

Yoosung seemed confused for just a split second before his megawatt smile engulfed his face. He looked like his eyes were tearing up as he accepted Fang’s camaraderie. Everything just went generally uphill from there.

Everyone had a shot after the excitement, they all talked about this that and the other thing while Fang was still with them, once he wasn't they went back out to dance more. There was only one more break for yet another shot and water, meaning that by the time the club closed and they all had to go home, Yoosung’s shot count was at four plus a mixed drink he had while socializing with Kai. Zifeara hadn't been keeping track, but as Fang drove them home in his car, she started to notice that something was definitely off with the blonde. He seemed much more giggly that usual, though he did appear to be completely in control of his motor functions. She wasn't a hundred percent sure if he was drunk or just really happy and had fun. She had never seen him drunk before. It wasn't till she had unlocked the door to her house and caught him as he fell through it that she had her answer.

Zifeara had grabbed him in such a way that she'd spun him into her, making it look more like a dance step than saving him from falling on his face. _Now_ he was getting clumsy. She grinned as he rubbed his nose against hers, giggling like a child.

 

“Honey, are you perhaps a bit of a lightweight?”

 

_“Mmm, dunno what you're talking about. Have I ever told you that you’re really pretty?”_

 

She giggled as she kicked her shoes off, coaxing him to do the same.

 

“Yoosung, are you telling me that you aren't mad anymore?”

 

He blinked a few times before meeting her eyes.

 

_“Mad? For wha…”_

 

He forgot to close his mouth and Zifeara could swear as she made him walk up the stairs to her room she could see the loading bar above his head. He was definitely drunk; she had been quite a shit to him tonight and he couldn't even remember it at first. Did she still have to make up for anything if he didn't know what she was making up _for_? Everything clicked all at once the second they made it to the top of the stairs.

 

_“You!”_

 

There it was. Yoosung surprised her by spinning her from his side where she was helping him stay steady on the climb up to pushing her in front of him, backing her into the wall just next to her room. He had one hand behind her head on the wall and the other on her hip.

 

 _“You offered me up lika, lika_ **_snack_ ** _to your friends, straight up_ **_lied_ ** _to me t'my face so that I looked lika_ **_moron_ ** _in fronta Fang!”_

 

Zifeara was trying so hard not to laugh. This thing he was doing was not threatening in the least and the way he was slurring his words was just sort of adorable. And reminded her of how she finally got him laid. Was he trying to be intimidating? She was convinced the blonde would never hurt her, not even like this but… what would he do if she provoked him just a little? Teasing him was impossible to resist under any circumstances.

 

“I did indeed do all of that. What are you gonna do about it, cutie? Punish me?”

 

It would seem Drunk Yoosung was infallible. He didn't even blush the slightest bit this time. All he did was grin and push his body flush against hers, bringing his mouth to her ear.

 

 _“Like you wouldn't believe. When ‘m done with you, you won't be able to remember how to say anything b'sides_ **_my name_ ** _.”_

 

Well _shit_ . She swallowed hard. Put her down for excessively excited and _beyond_ turned on. Zifeara hadn't thought he had it in him to be assertive, but based on the harsh grind of his hips and the nip he gave her neck, he had _something_ in him. And in a little bit, so would she.

She was still pinned, so when Yoosung ran his tongue over her neck and down the v in her shirt, there was nowhere to go. Not that she wanted to, but it did make her shiver with anticipation. All she could do with her hands was scramble to tangle them in his shirt, holding him to her to ensure him she was all about what he was doing. His teeth grazed her exposed flesh and he raised his eyes to meet hers. She was pretty sure he'd never given her such a dirty look before, not even any of the times they were _actively fucking_. Zifeara was really starting to like Drunk Yoosung.

The hand on her hip slipped upwards to her shirt, grabbing the corner of it and practically ripping it over her head, using the change in position to pin both her wrists to the wall. He immediately replaced his body against hers at every point he could, heatedly kissing at sucking at her neck. He had clearly taken what she said about him dry humping her to heart because he wasted no time setting that in motion either; he was already starting to get hard and he knew _just_ where to push that growing erection to get her going too. She was having a real hard time thinking, so she gave up. All the panting, grunting, and growling he was doing was more than enough to focus on.

 

“Ah, Y-Yoosung, fuck…!”

 

Zifeara could feel him grin into her skin.

 

_“Mmm, that's what I wanted to hear~”_

 

There was no warning for him releasing her hands to scoop her up, wrapping her legs around his waist before pushing away from the wall, gripping her ass and moving into her bedroom. She gave a yelp as Yoosung unceremoniously threw her onto the bed before dropping himself onto her, pinning her hips down to sit up and peel his own shirt off. He was all over her stomach, biting and licking every inch of skin from the hem of her skirt to the swell of her breasts, using her open mouthed surprise to thrust his tongue into it.

He swallowed down every moan, every whimper of pleasure she gave like he was a starving animal, never ceasing the motion of his hips against hers. Hell, if he kept it up for too much longer in just the right spot, she might actually cum like this. That would definitely be a first. Zifeara ran her hands from where they'd been on his shoulders into his hair, making him moan at one of his favorite sensations. But then he seemed to remember that she had her hands back.

He reached behind her to undo her bra, tossing it somewhere in the room before taking both her hands in one of his and brought them above her head. Somewhere in her mind, Zifeara tucked away that she'd have to see if he'd like actually being tied up, but that was for another day. Right now she was teetering on the edge of sanity as he dipped his head down to take one of her nipples into his mouth, laving his tongue over it in a way she hadn't thought he was capable of. She was slowly but surely becoming a mess underneath him, losing the battle she was having with her resolve to hold out as long as possible.

 

“Gah-! Yoosung, I-I’m, I muh-”

 

_“Mmm?”_

 

He hadn't stopped a thing he was doing; not with his mouth, not with his hips. All he did was open his dark violet eyes to watch her break. And break she did. Zifeara came so hard that she started to writhe enough that Yoosung had to let got of her hands so that she could hold on to him. Just because he was being unbelievably assertive now didn't make him stronger than her. The stuttering groan and gasps coming from her mouth as he continued to grind her through her orgasm made him moan around the breast still in his mouth. If she wasn't mistaken, he just came too. And that may or may not have been the sexiest thing she'd ever seen.

Releasing her with a pop and a string of saliva still connecting his lips to her skin, Yoosung panted for a moment. Still maintaining eye contact, still looking like every inch the wolf Zen had told her all men were. And then he smirked. He was shuffling her out of her skirt and underwear before she should even catch her breath. She had no complaints and lifted her hips for him. He undid the button and zipper of his pants, pulling them off as well and she got confirmation that he had definitely gotten himself off when he threw his underwear like he had her bra. Jesus Christ…

He steadied himself over her, but before he did anything else, he practically purred in her ear.

 

_“Tell me you want me.”_

 

Zifeara was still breathing hard, running her hands over his bare chest and one to the back of his neck.

 

“Fuh-fuck do I ever, babe.”

 

_“Say it.”_

 

“God Yoosung, I want you so bad…”

 

_“That's better~”_

 

He was enjoying this way too much. Then again, so was she. The blonde got to work leaving marks over her shoulders and pressed the tip of his cock to her slit, teasing her before giving her exactly what she asked for.

 

“Aaaahhh-!”

 

God, did he even get soft _at all_ ? He _just_ came, was he really that turned on? He hummed against her neck, in but not moving.

 

_“Hurt?”_

 

Oh bless him. At least his drunken, animalistic high didn't stop him from caring about her wellbeing.

 

“G-good. _So good_ , Yoosung.”

 

He chuckled, pressing himself as close as he could to get as far in as he would reach. Which of course made Zifeara dig her nails into the nape of his neck. Goddamn, this was probably about to be the best sex of her whole _life_.

 

_“A-ah, Zifeara… Say it again.”_

 

She squirmed, trying to get him to _go_. She wasn't kidding when she told him she wanted him badly. She had never found this boy hotter than he was right now.

 

“Wha-what, babe?”

 

 _“My name. Told you I wuh-wanted that t’be all you could say._ **_Say it._ ** _”_

 

She’d sing him an aria if it would get him to do what she thought he was about to. Currently he had an arm next to her head leaning on his elbow and the other in the back of her hair just like she had him.

 

“Kuso, I want you t-to fuck me, Yoosung!”

 

Oh _that_ did it. He exhaled harshly and snapped his hips forward, only once and _hard_. It knocked the air out of her lungs and she fisted his hair.

 

_“Ah! Guh-g-good girl.”_

 

Did he just-? All thought entirely went sailing out the window as he did it again, slamming his cock into her faster than she knew what to do with, hitting every spot she knew she loved a few she didn't know she had. The blonde ran a hand down, lifting one of her legs over his shoulder, letting him reach so far in that Zifeara was pretty sure she had to be drooling. He had reduced her to just sounds, incomprehensible noises as he bit down hard enough on her shoulder to draw a little blood, starting to make his own familiar sounds of sheer ecstasy. She felt him lap at the blood on her skin and it put her closer to a real hard edge. It was beginning to make her lose some of her vision, every glorious detail of the man she could not be anymore enamored with right now becoming blurry. She drug her nails down his chest, practically screaming as the contained explosion hit her.

 

“Ha-ah-Yoo-!”

 

Whether he was still going or not, she couldn't even tell. Zifeara could feel her throat was going to be raw tomorrow with how fast she'd been breathing and how _loudly_ she’d just made whatever noise that was. She went all but limp under the force of her orgasm, hips shaking and fingers clenching as she dug them into the sheets. As soon as she got at least some awareness back, all she could hear was laughter. Sitting up a little, Yoosung was laying on her, giggling like a fool at her. All she could do was blink slowly at him.

 

_“Yeah? So good you couldn't finish my whole name?”_

 

Now she laughed weakly with him.

 

“Fucking _Christ_ , Yoosung… where has _this_ beast been the whole time I've known you? Can I have him more often?”

 

He nuzzled her nose with his own, humming in approval.

 

_“Y’mean like right now? ‘M not done with you yet~”_

 

W...what? How did he still have the energy to… Clenching slightly, Zifeara gaped at him. He was still hard. And she didn't feel as full as she should.

 

“Did… did you not cum just now...?”

 

The blonde grinned and shook his head. On one hand, she was obscenely proud of him. She _had_ turned him into a slut and his stamina was starting to rival a racehorse if they did things right. On the other hand, _holy shit_ he wasn't done yet. He said he would punish her and by god, he was serious. Oh how the tables had turned. Yoosung sat up and pulled out, using her shoulders to make her sit up too.

 

_“Turn around.”_

 

Oh man. This was gonna be good. Zifeara assumed he wanted her on her hands and knees since she’d teased him about screwing her like a dog since he was her puppy, but he’d always gotten too flustered to try it. It would appear as though he were nothing but surprises tonight. Before she could put her hands on the bed, Yoosung grabbed them and bumped her forward, once again pinning her to a wall; well, now more specifically the very intricate and tall headboard of her bed, but close enough.

 

“You know, I’m starting to think you really like me pinned to things, babe.”

 

_“Hahaha, maybe~”_

 

Noted. Definitely noted. He had the most ridiculous habit of doing things he very much wanted done to him when he was feeling brave. As opposed to, you know, just asking her to try things with him. Setting her palms flat and running his hands over her arms, down her shoulders, and down her back, he resumed his kisses across her shoulders. The blonde wasn’t exactly being gentle still, but he was losing a little steam; now there was less biting and more actual kissing, more lingering licks, more murmured appreciation into her skin. One hand came around to her front to toy with the breast he hadn’t had in his mouth and the other he used to line himself up again. Zifeara tilted her hips back, tempting him to be quick like he was last time.

 

“Haha, let’s see if you can outlast me _this_ time, Blondie. I have one up on you and I won’t be so eeeaaasyyyy~”

 

She looked back just far enough to meet one of his eyes, noting he still had that darkened glint to his mischievous gaze. Yoosung hummed deeply into her shoulder, raising a brow at her. What she felt plunging into her was _not_ his dick. Three of his fingers eased right in past the mess she already was and wasted no time looking for the easiest spot to hit to get her to whine. Zifeara leaned forward, quickly resting her forehead against the headboard, almost wishing that maybe just sometimes she could shut up. She hadn’t really thought with as worked up as he was he would have the restraint to drag this out. From the way he was rocking his hips as though he were actually fucking her and not just teasing her more, he definitely wanted it badly enough.

Between him toying with her nipple, nibbling at her shoulders, and dragging his LOLOL adept fingers across her favorite sweet spot, she was already starting to get really worked up again. And from how she felt him try to hide another grin from time to time, he was well aware. On a more positive note, he was absolutely too impatient to be smug about it for too long. He removed both his hands, replacing the one that had been at her front in her hair and the one that had been in her with the real thing. God, this new no-time-to-be-shy thing Yoosung had going on was going to kill her.

 

_“Ha… mmm, you feel s-so good… Still want me?”_

 

How was that even a question? Zifeara reached a hand around, running her fingers through his hair and making him rest his chin on her shoulder.

 

“Ah, you b-bet I do. Since when did my bah-blushing, stuttering prince charming get so hot?”

 

Even as sexy as he was right now, he couldn’t seem to drop his trademarked pout. Rocking his hips slowly at first had escalated to a single slam as he leaned all his weight on her, absolutely trapping her against the board.

 

 _“Mfph. What d’you mean_ **_get_ ** _so hot? Am… aren’t I always attractive to you?”_

 

He was making it _really_ hard to have a conversation right now.

 

“Of c-course you are, babe, but you’re usually m-more ‘look at that cute little ass I could bite’ hot. Right now you’re ah- ‘make Zen look like an inexperienced twelve year old’ kinda hot. There’s a _big_ difference, l-love.”

 

The blonde’s eyes widened at the mention of Zen, and he seemed to almost forget where he was for a second. He blinked quickly a few times before just about the broadest, most accomplished smile spread across his face.

 

_“I guess I can’t afford to disappoint, now can I?”_

 

“What-”

 

She hadn’t considered the consequences of what she’d just said very well. Zifeara really should have known there was nothing more dangerous than comparing Yoosung to _Zen_. The immediately brutal pace the blonde started made her very glad she lived alone and with no close neighbors. The horribly loud noise she made caused Yoosung to moan in her ear and there were no more reservations from there on out. He was at the death or glory stage now and there was no going back. From the combination of him pulling her hair, making all of his delicious noises right in her ear, and fucking her like his life depended on it, she was really not going to last long again anymore. Good news was, neither was he.

 

_“Ah, ah, tuh- tell me- y’want me- one more- one more time- Z-Zifeara!”_

 

At this point she forgot Korean. She answered him in English

 

“God fuh-fucking _shit_ I-I-ah! C’mon, babe, gi-give it to me, Yoosung- fuck!”

 

He may not have understood most of what she said, but his own name was all he needed. He untangled his fingers from her hair to grab the top of the headboard for better leverage while digging the fingers of his other hand into her hip. She didn’t think he could _go_ faster and again she was wrong. If Zifeara hadn’t screamed before, she definitely did now, almost whiting out from how hard her orgasm hit her. There was no doubt about it, this was the pinnacle of her sex life to date. As per their usual, feeling her hit her limit made Yoosung tip too. He rode them both out for as long as he could stand to, laying heavily against her as they both tried to catch their breath.

It was at most a minute before she was okay again. His head was still resting on her left shoulder, so she ran her fingers back through his hair, pushing his bangs off his forehead.

 

“God, I love you.”

 

He opened his eyes again, seeming to have exhausted all his testosterone-fueled confidence. He looked almost back to normal now.

 

_“Hah… I-I didn’ hurt you, did I?”_

 

“Hahahaha, you know we both love a little pain. I’m more than fine, pumpkin.”

 

The blonde nuzzled into her neck, sighing as he relaxed. He made sure to pull out slower than usual, flopping over onto the bed once he did. _Someone_ had to at least clean up a fraction of the mess they’d made, so Zifeara attempted to stand up and make it to her bathroom to get a washcloth or something. Key word being ‘attempted’. Her legs wobbled so harshly that if Yoosung hadn’t sat back up as fast as he did to catch her, she probably would have landed her ass on the floor.

 

“Well… I’m going to feel _that_ tomorrow.”

 

_“Are… are you sure I wasn’t too…”_

 

“Hun, being sore in the morning is absolutely worth dealing with for everything you just did. Trust me~”

 

After giving herself maybe another minute to settle, Yoosung just got up and took care of everything for her. Despite how much she protested that she could do it just fine if he gave her a second. Once everything was tended to and they were snuggled under the covers in bed, he started playing with her hair. He had to be exhausted, meaning he was avoiding falling asleep on purpose. He’d done this before.

 

“What is it, love?”

 

_“Hmm?”_

 

“The only times you don’t pass out immediately after sex that good, there’s something bothering you. So what is it?”

 

Since she was already right there anyway, Zifeara pressed a light kiss to his chest, right over where his heart was. The arm she had around his waist tightened a little.

 

_“I… did you mean it?”_

 

“Mean what?”

 

_“That… I was better than Zen.”_

 

Oh boy. They were doing this again.

 

“Well, I can’t say I know how Zen is in bed and I never will, but you know he never makes me feel anything special. Never has and never will, especially now that you’ve been setting the bar higher and higher. I can tell you with no embellishment or jest that that was, however, the best sex I’ve ever had and I wouldn’t be opposed to you getting a little rough with me more often.”

 

He was quiet, but he wasn’t asleep; he was breathing too fast for his normal sleeping rhythm. It couldn’t have been too long before he spoke again, but now he was definitely back to normal. The waiver in his voice was nothing but sweet hearted insecurity.

 

_“I-I just… I don’t want you to leave me.”_

 

Even though he pulled her closer, she still managed to wiggle up so that she could rest her nose against his and pet his hair.

 

“Yoosung, what does that have to do with anything?”

 

_“I don’t have an-anything that makes m-me special… M-maybe if- if I’m really good in b-bed, you’ll stay longer and-!”_

 

Zifeara put her hand over his mouth.

 

“Listen you, that’s my boyfriend you’re talking about and I won’t have it. Yoosung Kim is one of the most special people I’ve ever met. He has the patience of a saint, the sweetness of a box of kittens in a field of honeysuckle, enough determination to single handedly rebuild the Great Wall of China if he really wanted to, and is so loyal he would put every guard at Buckingham Palace to shame. My boyfriend is going to become a vet and because he’s so smart, he’s going to do it faster than anyone ever has before. Because he _can_ . So you tell me he isn’t special _one_ more time and you’re going to catch these hands. I’m not as gentle as he is, so you better watch yourself, mister man.”

 

His eyes were watering, but she could feel him smiling. He pried her hand away and held it to his chest.

 

 _“_ **_And_ ** _he’s really good in bed? Who is this man of yours and when can I meet him?”_

 

“Hahaha, I don’t think I like your tone, sir. He’s mine you know. He loves me and wouldn’t give me up for anything in the world.”

 

Yoosung brushed some of her hair over her ear and away from her chest, holding her head and bringing their foreheads together too.

 

_“You’re right. He wouldn’t. He would be stupid to ever ruin the b-best thing to ever happen to him.”_

 

***

 

God he wanted to let her sleep for forever. Zifeara looked so perfect with her arms under the pillow and half her face buried in it. She never slept on her stomach like that unless she was really spent, meaning she would probably be grouchy when he did rouse her. With where the blankets had ended up, Yoosung could see all the glaring evidence of _why_ she was so tired… He still felt guilty even though she’d sung his praises last night. That bite on her shoulder was going to take a while to heal… If he remembered correctly, he’d drawn blood. At least he hadn’t scheduled their visit to his parent’s place anytime in the next week.

Setting the tray he was carrying on the end table, the blonde sat on the bed, softly running a hand over Zifeara’s exposed back. It took 4 or 5 passes before she even stirred, mumbling something incoherent. He stifled a giggle and continued his motions.

 

“Muffin, it’s well into morning. Time to wake up.”

 

_“Mmmrrr. Still too early.”_

 

Zifeara was _never_ a morning person.

 

“Afraid it’s not, my love. It’s almost eleven and I made breakfast.”

 

She lazily opened one eye to glare at him.

 

_“Don’t wanna go downstairs for breakfast.”_

 

“Well then it’s a good thing I brought breakfast up here, huh?”

 

Even if he hadn’t she’d have won this round; he’d have laid down again with her. She was well aware she could always coax him back to bed if she tried hard enough. It was half the reason she didn’t allow sleepovers if he had class in the morning. Turning to grab the tray, he set it in his lap and sat up against the headboard. The one eye of Zifeara’s he could see slowly opened all the way and blinked a time or two before she started to rise. She grumbled her way up to sit next to him and stretched, yawning widely. Now he couldn’t help but giggle.

 

“I guess I’m glad I fought with your coffee pot to make coffee, then. When are you going to get rid of that thing and get a French press like I said you should?”

 

Her sleepy eyes stared at all the food on the tray.

 

_“When a French press gets everything prepped by its damn self and runs on a timer. You tried the pancakes again?”_

 

She had been trying so hard to help him to make good pancakes and he was just _bad_ at it. Neither of them understood how since it was so simple, but he could never seem to cook them correctly. They were always either too browned or too soft in the middle. Today was different. Today he had it. He was _special_ , damnit, he made perfect pancakes for his perfect girlfriend.

 

“Mhm. They’ve _got to_ be right this time, I swear. And… there’s oatmeal if they aren’t…”

 

She took the fork and knife and cut herself a triangle out of the stack. They looked okay, but that didn’t mean anything. They usually looked fine when he undercooked them. The whipped cream was running off from the heat, but that would cool soon enough. The chocolate chips seemed to still be fairly solid, just a little melty. God, they _looked_ like he had it… Even if they were almost as good as Kai’s pancakes, he’d take it. Zifeara popped the fork into her mouth, chewing a little and stared straight ahead. And then she looked much more awake.

 

_“Oh, Yoosung…”_

 

Shit. They were awful again. He was never going to get the hang of this! He’s tried so many times and he just couldn’t get it… He had wanted to come up here and bring her a wonderful breakfast in bed since yesterday had been so good and… last night had been even better. He should have just made the oatmeal and left it at that, Zifeara didn’t even like breakfast!

 

 _“Fang is going to_ **_cry_ ** _!”_

 

A massive smile spread across her face as she turned to him, reaching for another bite.

 

“They… they’re okay?!”

 

_“Babe, these are more than okay. Nobody besides Kai has been able to make pancakes just the way I like for pretty much my whole life. These are fuckin delicious! He’s gonna flip his shit!”_

 

Yoosung had seen her shovel food into her mouth on more than one occasion, but now he was starting to be concerned there wasn’t going to be any of his own pancakes left for him to try.

 

“H-hey, at least let me taste it!”

 

 _“Are you trying to tell me you made_ **_me_ ** _pancakes and didn’t make a separate plate for yourself? You know how I get around good pancakes, hun.”_

 

“Yeah, but a singular bite of all my hard work isn’t a lot to ask for, is it? Please?”

 

He wasn’t ashamed of pulling puppy eyes for this. His Dragon hoarded pancakes.

 

_“...You’re lucky you’re cute. Here.”_

 

Zifeara held the fork out to him, choosing to feed him the only bite he was allowed herself. He had to be a little flushed, especially considering she still wasn’t wearing anything, but soon all he could focus on how proud of himself he was. The pancakes were perfect. Just like his life right now. At least for today.

 

***

 

“Mmmmm! Is it really too late to turn around?”

 

_“Yes, love, I’m afraid it was too late to turn around this morning. I don’t know what you’re so nervous about, you’re related to these people.”_

 

“Zifeara, that is _exactly_ why I’m nervous!”

 

_“Babe, we’re staying at your parent’s place for a day and a night. It’s not like we’re moving in!”_

 

Zifeara was busy driving, but she still reached over to ruffle his hair. It’s not like it looked any worse for it, but he’d told her not to do that at least 4 times today. It was a 3 hour car ride to his parent’s house and they had only been on the road for an hour, but it felt like he’d been here his whole life. Yoosung had tried to look normal, nice but not any kind of formal. It was his own parent’s house for crying out loud… Meanwhile his girlfriend was still proving to be impossibly attractive in anything she wore.

Zifeara had either gone shopping for a new dress or he’d never seen this one before. It was black like everything else she loved, but instead of being covered in bats, or spiders, or skulls, it had little silvery-grey stars of various sizes scattered about. He insisted she’d done this on purpose to fit in with his star theme, and she insisted she simply fell in love with the dress the second she saw it. It was light and summery, cutting off just at her knees and with lacy straps over her shoulders. By god, she looked wonderful in it.

And yet here he was, looking like a wreck over a simple visit to the people he’d spent his whole life with.

 

“Zifeara, what if… what if they don’t like you? I mean, I don’t know how they couldn’t I just-”

 

_“Then we do what I said we would this morning. We go home. I’m driving my own car, what’re they gonna do about it? You’re a grown man, Yoosung, they can’t tell you who you can and can’t see. And I mean, if you really care that much about what they think, then…”_

 

“N-no, you’re… you’re right. Then nothing. They’ll be fine.”

 

Even if they weren't fine, he didn't care. They may be family, but Zifeara was the love of his life and he'd disown each of them individually if they gave her a hard time. He was probably the most worried about his mother; while she was a sweet and loving woman, she had _standards_ and heaven help you if they weren't met. As much as he couldn't imagine how his girlfriend couldn't tick every box there was to be had… if anyone could find fault with her, it would be his mother.

He was still a nervous mess for the rest of the drive, but it all came to a head when they turned down the last street before his house came into view. Yoosung could swear he could feel his heart stop. He had never been this scared of the home he grew up in. Then he realized it wasn’t only because he was brining a girl home for the first time. It was because of _which_ girl he was bringing home. Zifeara had an entire other side to her life that he really should not mention around his family. He had to keep her secrets. He was really bad at secrets.

Zifeara had no trouble finding his house since it still looked exactly like he had described it and soon enough, they were standing in front of the sidewalk he and his sister spent whole summers drawing on with chalk. His sister’s car was a few feet away up the driveway, so she was absolutely here. It was now or never and he didn’t think never was a possibility… Yoosung was about to be cool; take Zifeara’s hand confidently in his, march right up to the door all smiles and a smooth tone, be a goddamn man. And that was when he realized she wasn’t next to him anymore. She was already on the porch ringing the doorbell. Without him.

Yoosung scrambled to Zifeara’s side, about to pout and give her lip, but the door opened before he could. There in all 5 feet of her tyrannous glory was Yeong Kim. She was already smiling, ready to welcome her son home and spill endless pleasantries over their new guest. He gave a tiny wave and a cautious smile.

 

“H-hi, mom.”

 

It never mattered that he was 7 inches taller, Yoosung’s mother still scooped him up into her arms, lifting him slightly off the floor into the house and crushing the air out of his lungs. _“Oh, my boy! We’re so happy to see you, Yoosungie.”_

 

He groaned, unable to move his arms. “Omma! I’m too old for this...”

 

That didn’t sound as confident as he’d wanted it to, and it didn’t help that Zifeara had a hand over her mouth while she comfortably leaned in the doorway. He glared hard, daring her to utter a single sound. His mother sighed before putting him down, opting instead to reach up and squish his cheeks. _“You’ll never be too old to be my son, Yoosung Kim. Especially since I never get to see you anymore since you’re a busy man.”_

 

“Omma, can we not do this? At least not when it’s _really_ embarrassing?”

 

For half a second, she seemed confused. And then she remembered Yoosung hadn’t come alone. His mother gasped softly, her face lighting up before moving her son over a bit to look behind him. Zifeara straightened up, finally coming in and closing the door behind her. Zifeara bowed low, introducing herself with practiced grace. _“ My name is Zifeara Nightshade. I’m so glad to finally meet you, Mrs. Kim.”_

 

There was a tense moment while his mother stared, taking in this foreign woman who dared think she was good enough to lay claim on her star child. And with practically a snap of his fingers, it was gone. Mrs. Kim rushed forwards, immediately enveloping his girlfriend in just as tight an embrace as she had him. It didn’t seem to linger for as long as his had before his mother released her, ushering her in with a hand on her back. _“So good to meet you too, dear. Come in, come in, lunch is almost ready and Yoosung’s sister has been_ **_dying_ ** _to see you!”_

 

Yoosung was… borderline speechless. That actually went really well. He had expected much more scrutiny than that. Definitely a ton more judgmental eyeing. There was none of that. Meaning-

 

The second Zifeara got pushed through the entryway to the dining room, there was a loud gasp. Oh no. If his mother was that easy, his _sister_ was going to be the worst part. His mom moved into the room while Zifeara stayed in the archway, meaning he could come stand next to her. And take in the sight at the table. Yoosung’s father was in his usual spot at the head, bouncing a baby on his knee; his daughter’s youngest. Another small child, only 4, was sitting and eating what looked like a bowl of applesauce messily with a spoon. Next to her child sat his sister, eyes wide and mouth open, staring completely unashamedly at the woman her mother just brought in here. When she found her voice, Yoosung almost screamed. _“Alright, what is my nerdy, spastic, embarrassing baby brother bribing you with to show up here?”_

 

 _“Ellsig!”_ His mother was quick to glare, but his sister still had her eyes locked on his girlfriend. His father had stopped to give her a quick once over as well, but remained quiet and unreadable as per his usual.

 

Zifeara smiled. _“Well, his unconditional affection was a good start, but considering how good he is at the videogame we both play, I’m making him do a ton of quests for me when we get back. Why do you ask?”_

 

Ellsig hadn’t even introduced herself and she was already ragging on him. His dad was just watching, seeing where this was going and now his mom was too, spoon in hand to stir whatever she was making for lunch. He knew his mom sort of wanted to see what would happen after Zifeara straight up rolled with what had been said to her. Yoosung would be lying if he claimed he didn’t.

 

 _“Girl, have you_ **_seen_ ** _yourself?”_ Ellsig raised her eyebrows.

 

Zifeara’s expression didn’t falter. _“Girl, have you seen your brother?”_

 

There wasn’t even half a heartbeat before Ellsig relaxed, laughing and covering her eyes with her hand and waving them away. _“Alright, you win. I think I like you.”_

 

Even his dad smiled. He got up, replacing the baby in a nearby highchair and stepping forward. _“Jeong-Ho Kim. Please, make yourself at home.”_

 

_“Thank you, sir. Zifeara Nightshade.”_

 

Ellsig got up too, making her way over and setting a hand on her shoulder. _“Ellsig Kim. Good to know Yoosung actually has some taste after all this time. I was not hopeful when Omma said he was bringing a girl too, but I think we’re going to get along.”_ She winked before going to take the bowl from her kid, seeing he was done with it. _“These little bundles of joy are Kyong and Danbi, he’s four and she just turned one.”_

 

Yoosung leaned over and whispered to his girlfriend. “Don’t listen to a thing Kyong tells you, he likes getting you in trouble.”

 

 _“Hey, just because_ **_you_ ** _believed the four year old when he was clearly up to no good doesn’t mean it was his fault. You’ve always been kinda dumb.”_ Ellsig stuck her tongue out while washing the bowl out and Mrs. Kim giggled.

 

_“Ellsig, be nice to your brother. We have a guest in the house and it’s rude for you to be this much of a pain before you’ve even offered her something to drink. Sit down dears, this stew is just about done and I’ll bring it over in a moment.”_

 

They did as she asked and Yoosung noticed Zifeara didn’t hesitate to sit next to his dad. She was either trying to put on a really good show or actually hadn’t really been phased by what a _shit_ his sister had just been from the get go. Either way, at least now he could sit on her other side so that she wasn’t completely surrounded. Once they had gotten drinks and his mom had served lunch, they all launched into a million questions of how he was doing.

Yoosung got to tell the story of how college was kind of starting to bore him and he gamed to occupy his time and how he made friends online. He went on about how he had one really good friend in game who he did everything with and how great it was, giving him a nice break from homework and classes where he didn’t really connect with too many of his classmates. He got interrupted a few times, but he answered quickly so he could get to the part where his favorite gaming buddy accidentally fell into his real life. He left out pretty much all the danger she’d been in, spending more time on the bits in between and embellished all the sweet, wonderful things his girlfriend did to keep him going. He only looked at her once and couldn’t do it again; it made him realize he was raving to his family with her right there, but the look she was giving him… she was almost embarrassed, but touched. His mom looked like she was actively stopping herself from ‘aww’ing at every other thing he said and even Ellsig was starting to get sappy. It was his father that surprised him. He looked… kinda proud.

Once he had finally gotten to present day, it was Zifeara’s turn for interrogation. He wanted to apologize for just about every single question, but she didn’t look uncomfortable. Zifeara answered pretty much everything either with a legitimate answer, an omittance of truth, or some form of sarcastic comment once she got more relaxed. She had figured out what sense of humor she was dealing with and rolled into it remarkably quickly. Yoosung was undoubtedly impressed and forgot multiple times that this was really the other half of her job. She was used to this and it showed. He could see why she hadn’t been nervous now. The only snag they hit was when Ellsig opened her god forsaken mouth while playing with her daughter.

 

_“So when am I getting a niece or nephew?”_

 

Yoosung choked on the water he’d been drinking. Why did she hate him so much? In a way, it was kind of sweet that even though it hadn’t been remotely brought up, Ellsig was now convinced he’d get that far with Zifeara. On the other hand, _they had not even remotely talked about this_ . Everyone at the table seemed amused at the reaction this pulled from him, though he could see the slightest blush forming on his girlfriend’s face. He scrambled to chide his sister and tell Zifeara she really didn’t have to answer that, but the words caught in his throat. Did… did she want kids? Much the less… _his_ kids? Now his face was getting red too.

 

 _“O-oh, uh, hahaha. I don’t know, I don’t really… like kids?”_ Zifeara looked around a little nervously. With his parent’s occupations, she knew this would be a touchy subject given her answer. _“No offence to yours, of course. They’ve been pretty well behaved, honestly.”_

 

Oh… It wasn’t as if he was in any massive hurry, but he had kind of… wanted at least one. Not that he’d thought about it a lot, but Yoosung did always like them and wanted a family of his own. It wasn’t the end of the world if Zifeara didn’t want kids, but it was a bit… disappointing.

 

_“I dunno, I’m still way too young for my own personal preference to even think about it yet. I might want one at some point, but that’s in the future. If it happens, it happens.”_

 

He perked back up. There was a possibility. She of course was right; they were still really young and there was a lot to do before they could seriously even consider- wait. Holy- what was he doing?! Thankfully no one seemed to be paying him enough mind to laugh at the color his face was becoming. He was _seriously_ thinking about a future child with the woman he still wasn’t a hundred percent convinced would even _keep him_ that long! They had been dating for barely 3 _months_ and he was… This had to stop. Now.

Luckily the topic of conversation changed quickly and before long, Ellsig went to put the kids down for naps in her old room. While she was gone, his mom suggested they do a family game night, just like they used to when all four of them still could. No one was opposed and it seemed… kinda surreal to be sitting in the living room of his childhood home, badly losing at a board game because he was too distracted by how nice this was. Family game night actually felt like _family_. The atmosphere was light and cheery, the four year old was talkative and hyper but not intrusive, Zifeara and Ellsig would swap sass, his dad would chuckle from time to time, and his mom already treated Zifeara like she’d been part of his life this whole time. He hadn’t given his family enough credit, but he was very glad he had been worried for nothing.

Dinner was had over another few games before Ellsig had to return home. The kids were starting to get fussy and needed to be bathed before being put to bed for real and she had things to do tomorrow. She ruffled Yoosung’s hair and actually hugged Zifeara before she was off. Before anything could settle into an awkward lull, his mom suggested they watch a movie with dessert and that’s how they ended up. He was full of cake and contentedly crammed into the large armchair next to the couch with Zifeara, his parents happily cuddled on the couch much the same way, laughing at the shenanigans of the protagonist in one of his favorite movies. All in all, not a bad place to be.

Once it got late enough, they all went to bed. His mom offered Zifeara their guest room, which he rolled his eyes at, even as he felt his face flush slightly. He didn’t even give his mom a chance to yell at him before pushing his girlfriend ahead of him and into his old room. He had somewhat forgotten that they hadn’t changed a thing about it yet. The sky blue walls still had a few posters on them, mostly for a couple of movies he liked the rest for school competitions he’d been in. The corkboard above his desk still had some pictures and scraps of paper pinned to it. He didn’t even have time to be embarrassed about his highschool self before Zifeara was already in, looking at one of the pictures on said corkboard laughing.

 

_“I swear to god, it only takes me five seconds to forget you aren’t naturally blonde.”_

 

The picture she was staring at was one of him and a few of his highschool friends he didn’t talk to anymore hanging out somewhere. He’s pretty sure it was one of his birthday parties, but he can’t quite remember.

 

“Hehe, yeah, sometimes I forget too. It takes my roots forever to grow in, so I tend to just… not pay attention to it.”

 

She was looking around at all the pictures, so he went to go fish out some old clothes he still kept in his dresser for pajamas.

 

_“Have you ever thought of letting it grow out again?”_

 

“Hmm. No, not really. I kinda like it this way. Unless you _really_ want to see it brown again?”

 

Yoosung held out a shirt and some comfortable pants to her, grinning as she shook her head and accepted the clothes. _“No way, you’re a really cute blonde. Besides, I’m dark and gloomy enough for the both of us, I think.”_

 

There was really not even half a reason to be shy about changing in front of each other, but the thought of doing it in his old room was a little exciting. He’d never even had a girl in here before, and in a way that was kinda sad.

 

“Pfft. You are not dark and gloomy. If anything, you’re mysterious and sultry. Absolutely not the same.”

 

_“Oooh, don’t let your mom hear you say that, babe. I’ll get banished to the guest room for sure.”_

 

He giggled and they poked their heads out to make sure they’d get no more parental harassment on sharing his small bed before going to brush their teeth. Now that they were certain they were alone enough, Zifeara was back to her usual nonsense as if they were in her own house. Every time she thought it might make him laugh and choke on toothpaste, she’d bump her hip into his. Or clap him on the back when he was trying to spit. Or push his hands up when he was trying to wash soap off his face. In which case he would do the same to try for some sort of revenge. All it did was make a mess they had to clean up and get them a little wetter than they had intended on being. But it was fun.

She raced him back to bed so that she could take up all of it and he would have to fight her for it. The second he turned off the lights, their would be competition was forgotten and he was yet again mortified. All the childish glow in the dark stars he had plastered across his ceiling came to life, twinkling brightly in their random patterns, a few planets and the moon here and there. They were _everywhere_.

 

_“Wow… you have so many of them.”_

 

He moved over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it and hiding his face in his hands with a groan.

 

“Y-yeah… I uhm, I didn’t like it being completely dark in here and… I used to have trouble falling asleep. Eventually I just liked them and…”

 

_“I had them too.”_

 

He looked up to find Zifeara smiling. She had moved over and flipped the blanket off his side of the bed for him. He got in and comfortable, sighing when she wasted no time cuddling up to him.

 

“Really?”

 

 _“Mhm. Since you’ve never slept in_ **_my_ ** _guest room, you’ve never seen them. The guest room used to be mine, though I don’t have as many as you do. Plus mine are arranged in actual constellations.”_

 

There was a slight amount of teasing to that last sentence, but he didn’t pay it any mind. He was just happy she didn’t think it was odd. Yoosung wrapped an arm around her shoulders, making her lay more solidly over his chest.

 

_“You actually didn’t tell me a lot about when you were in highschool. A little over the chat, but nothing after that.”_

 

“Neither did you.”

 

_“Well, that’s probably because we were almost opposites. I got excellent grades, but I wasn’t a nerd.”_

 

“I mean… I wasn’t _that_ bad… I just wasn’t cool…”

 

_“Haha, color me surprised.”_

 

“Hey!”

 

They spent a long time talking about how very different their highschool experiences were. How even though she was a straight A student, Zifeara was well acquainted with the principal’s office. How she had either the fear or respect of just about everyone at her rather prestigious private school. How she started sleeping around her junior year just because she felt like it and no one was stopping her. How much Fang really hated having braces. How he was _not_ allowed to tell Fang she had mentioned he had them or how he had a really awkward punk phase.

How Yoosung had spent his time very differently. How he had friends, just none he was really close to and didn’t spend much time with outside of school. How he started getting bored with school in general and that was why Rika had been so great. How he had sort of been a whiny little shit before he started volunteering and he was definitely glad he stopped being that way. How he would get so wrapped up in homework and studying that he’d forget what day it was and almost missed school once because he really thought it was still Sunday and so did his mom. How much he wanted to be dedicated to schoolwork again once his new semester of college started and how she’d keep him at it because he promised he’d do well. How he couldn’t believe when his family had found out she had Scottish heritage, they asked if she could play the bagpipes. How she had said yeah, she actually could. How glad he was that everything with his family had gone well and how excited he was that they really liked her. How much _he_ really liked her. In whispered words how much he would show her he liked her when they got back home tomorrow.

 

***

 

It would seem coffee ran in Yoosung’s family as much as a fondness for the stars did. When they came downstairs for breakfast, there was already a steaming mug of coffee for each of them next to cream and sugar so they could have it however they wanted. If she hadn’t liked Mrs. Kim already, Zifeara sure did now. She and Yoosung had stayed up way too late for how early they were getting up, but it was too much fun talking about things before they knew each other squished into his tiny bed. She didn’t regret it.

The four of them talked idly about Yoosung’s plans for next semester over the meal, his father giving sagely advice and probably uttering the most words at once since they got here. At first Zifeara thought he didn’t like her, but it became clear pretty quickly when he laughed that he was simply a man of few words. Especially when he asked where in the world Zifeara got the car she’d driven them here in and she explained it was hers. He started asking her questions about it and they’d held an actual conversation since she was very knowledgeable about her own vehicle. Apparently he liked cars. She didn’t miss the giddy smile on Yoosung’s face while he talked to his mom since she and his dad were busy. He informed her later that it was rare for his dad to open up like that around someone new.

Not long after breakfast was done and they’d helped clean up, it was time to go. They had a long drive to get back and Zifeara was honestly ready for some peace and quiet. It had been fun and she was thrilled everything went way better than expected, but she would have been flat out lying if she were to say it hadn’t taken a toll on her. Yoosung was right; family stuff was kinda exhausting for her sometimes. Hugs were exchanged, Yoosung was scolded till his ears were red with embarrassment about calling more often, and she was told she was welcome back anytime and that they hoped to see her for Christmas this year. It was very sweet, but she let out a huge sigh when they finally got into the car.

 

_“I told you they were a handful. You okay?”_

 

“Yeah, Yoosung. I’ll just be glad to go home and draw and not talk to anybody for a while. Family stuff is always taxing.”

 

 _“Yeah, tell me about it. They’re_ **_my_ ** _family.”_

 

She looked over to him and he was grinning. Zifeara got them on their way, finding something to listen to on the radio to keep her awake. Yoosung actually fell asleep pretty quickly, but it gave her time to relax and think. She really had liked his family. It made her almost wish her own was still around so that she could return the favor. Actually… there was nothing keeping her from doing that, it just wouldn’t be as… lively.

 

 

Since Yoosung was out the entire time they were driving, he didn’t notice when they stopped. He always slept like he was dead anyway. Getting out of the car, she stopped to enjoy the view before she woke him up. This place was set in a nice little valley with a lot of trees, all moving in the light summer breeze. It could almost be a park were it not for some very obvious differences. The wrought iron fence surrounding the whole area looked less haunted house ominus and more French Quarter decorative, just sort of nicely framing the greenery. It was almost hard to believe that somewhere so serene and pretty was only 20 minutes outside the city. She walked around the car, opening the passenger door slowly so that the blonde didn’t fall out. Shaking his shoulder got him at least vaguely responsive.

 

“Yoosung, wake up. We’re making a stop before we go home.”

 

He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times before somewhat looking around.

 

_“Why are we in a park…?”_

 

Zifeara shook her head, pulling him up and out of the car, shutting the door and making him walk with her.

 

“Well, we aren’t, first of all, but secondly because there’s someone you should probably see.”

 

_“Uuuuuugh, I thought we met all your friends…”_

 

He still wasn’t really awake. Clearly. He shuffled along after her, running right into her back when she came to a stop about halfway into the field. The blonde looked up at the stone building sitting neatly under a huge willow tree, not too big, but intricately carved like a gothic church. The dark stone gave stark contrast to the afternoon sunshine all around, seeming foreboding in broad daylight.

 

_“Z-Zifeara… why is this creepy building here?”_

 

She spared him a small smile before jingling the keys she had in the hand not holding his. She let go of him, selecting an ornate looking key and stepping up to the creepy door. Looking over her shoulder, she jerked her head towards the door.

 

“Where else would you put a mausoleum if not in a cemetery, Yoosung?”

 

 _“Ce…”_ He finally looked around harder, instantly awake through sheer force of fear at the mere mention of a graveyard. His wide eyes took in the headstones scattered about, the tall stone angels and flat plaques. When he looked back to her she had the door open and was leaning in the frame. He could barely whisper. _“Cemetery…?”_

 

She nodded and went inside, making him whimper and reluctantly follow. The stone tomb was just as intricate on the inside, carved pillars in the walls sporting all manner of delicate stone creepy crawlies making their way down to the floor. Snakes, spiders, centipedes, rats, just about anything most people don’t like. There were stone plants carved into the bottoms of the pillars, but most people couldn’t place what species they were. Most normal people couldn't recognize nightshade at a glance. Coming all the way in, she leaned against the back wall, waiting for him to take it all in.

 

_“Zifeara, what… is this for?”_

 

She quirked a brow.

 

“Well, like all mausoleums, it’s for dead people.”

 

He swallowed hard and met her eyes, now looking even more scared.

 

“However, unlike all mausoleums… this is the one I actually have a key to. Because someday I’m going to be buried here.”

 

The fear was still there, but now it contained confusion. Moving off the back wall, she turned and swept a hand over the shelf behind her. There were two jars on the shelf, black and shiny and one on the shelf below that, more of a purple color.

 

“Yoosung, I’d like to at least formally introduce you to my family. Meave and Alastor Nightshade, my mother and father, and Lillith Hemlock, my aunt.”

 

Now Yoosung was standing up straighter, mouth open and saddest look in his eyes. She brushed her fingers fondly over the urns, sighing.

 

“They would have liked you. All three of them. You probably wouldn’t have been what they expected, but you would have gotten along. I’ve been told my father liked anyone with a good heart. My mother would have been just as embarrassing as yours, but aunt Hemlock would have been the worst. She was always over the top with everything she did that didn’t demand she be serious.”

 

Zifeara heard him move closer before he set a hand on her back. She was waiting for comforting words over the loss of her small family or a question of why in the world she thought that this was necessary, but she got neither. She snapped her head to look at Yoosung, surprised at the gentle confidence he poured out.

 

_“I’m honored to meet you three. I wish it were under better circumstances, though. I would have loved to get to know you. I’ll just have to settle for promising to take really good care of your daughter. For as long as she’ll have me, anyway.”_

 

He tore his eyes from the jars, smiling at her as if it were the most normal thing in the world that she’d dragged him into a creepy ass crypt out of nowhere after the nice day they’d spent with his folks. Like he didn’t think she was crazy for introducing him to vials of dust that were once people. Like he knew this was important to her before she had herself. Like he loved her.

She could feel her eyes tear slightly as she returned his smile. They stood there for a while, him rubbing gently up her spine and her quietly telling what used to be her parents a similar story to the one he had told his earlier. Hers sounded different for a multitude of reasons, but she was no less animated when it came to all the best parts. When she came to the conclusion, the blonde put an arm over her shoulders so she could lean her head on him and just be for a little while. He eventually broke the silence with a whisper.

 

_“Zifeara? Who’s in that one?”_

 

He had finally seen the red urn on a shelf set into the wall.

 

“Aria Yorusutoka… Kai’s mom.”

 

He nodded, accepting that was all the explanation he was getting for now. In a way… it felt kind of nice to have done this. Just to say that her boyfriend had met her parents. Made her feel as close to normal as she wanted to be.

 

***

 

Nyan cat was not really something she wanted to be woken up to, especially not at- glancing at the clock told her it was almost 3 am. That could only mean they had a problem. Shooting up in bed and snatching her phone, Zifeara answered Seven’s call.

 

_“How quickly can you be ready to leave your house?”_

 

“Depends on what we’re leaving for. Max twenty minutes.”

 

Yoosung stirred and looked around in a bleary haze. _“Zifeara? Wassa matter?”_

 

She reached over and stroked his hair, letting him wake up more thoroughly while Seven continued.

 

_“Good. I found them.”_

 

Finally. The hacker had been trying to track down Mint Eye for months now. It was go time.

 

“Okay. I’ll call Mal and let her know. Give me fifteen and I can be out the door. ETA?”

 

_“Ten, but I can wait. Come prepared.”_

 

“I am the queen of prepared. See you soon.”

 

She hung up, noticing Yoosung was very awake now. He was hovering, eyes huge and darting between her own.

 

_“Was that Seven?”_

 

“Yeah, babe. I have to go. I promise you that when I get back, I’ll have answers for you.”

 

She moved to get up, but he caught her arm.

 

 _“Zifeara,_ **_where_ ** _are you going? And can’t I come?”_

 

“No, love, you definitely need to stay. You got hurt once and that’s plenty enough, leave this one to the professionals.”

 

She tried to smile reassuringly, but she pushed him off and ducked into her closet. She grabbed one of three black duffle bags off a shelf, one with yellow tape on the handle along with a pair of clothes sitting next to the bags. She dropped the bag on the floor and started changing into the all black shirt and pants.

 

_“Zifeara, seriously, you can’t just tell me nothing!”_

 

She didn’t even spare him a glance this time.

 

“I can and I will tell you everything when I get back. We’re finally sorting out all the unspoken crap with Mint Eye. You have to trust me right now, Yoosung. Can you do that?”

 

Now she fixed her eyes to his, searching for signs he’d say no. He reluctantly nodded.

 

“Good. Can you get home okay without me tomorrow?”

 

_“Yeah, of course.”_

 

She leaned back onto the bed, taking his face in her hands and bringing him close.

 

“Okay. If anything happens while I’m gone, you call Fang, okay? Don’t bother Mal and the Underground, they’re going to help us deal with this. Everything will be _fine_ , Yoosung. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I will be back. Behave yourself.”

 

She softly kissed him, not lingering for even a second before turning, grabbing her bag and making her way downstairs. She didn’t really want to let him see her gearing up for war. They were about to put an end to this nonsense once and for all. And finally get some answers around here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Next chapter is going to be a little different and probably a little shorter. Maybe. Also, Ellsig is actually spelled ilsig, but then again, 'yoosung' is not how you spell the word for shooting star either, it's just prettier that way XD See you later!


	22. It All Comes Crashing Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of Mint Eye, the beginning of Yoosung Kim: True Adult

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After about a million years because I was working on other things and uh, slacking, the new chapter is here! There is one song in it somewhere, so enjoy!

When Zifeara got into the blue car that would be their warhorse, she had really hoped this whole fiasco wouldn’t have ended in such a fantastically awful way. She had wanted to just wrap everything up nice and easy for once; wanted to come back home and tell Yoosung the good albeit heartbreaking news, let him stomach it, then take him to see his cousin. Let him slap V in the face. Help him cope. Now as she sat on the floor inside the guest room of her house waiting to see what she could do if anything at all to help Hellebore, she could only stare at the blood on her hands. God she wished this had gone better. Just as much as she wished this wasn’t Saeyoung’s blood she was covered in.

 

***

 

_“So uh, what’s the bag for?”_

 

Zifeara plopped herself into the passenger seat of the supercar, still holding on to her duffle bag. She might need it here in awhile.

 

“What, you don’t have a go bag? This is mine, but it’s less a ‘we gotta run’ bag and more a ‘time to go kick someone’s ass on short notice’ bag.”

 

Saeyoung chuckled and got them on their way as she shuffled it into the backseat and sighed. She knew for a fact Yoosung had his face pressed to her bedroom window right now and she refused to look at him. That boy was Worried™ and seeing him that way would just make her feel worse about what she and the redhead were about to do.

 

_“Well yeah, I do have a go bag, but mine is more the first kind. All my infiltration gear is neatly hung up, I’ll have you know!”_

 

She hummed in response, staring out the windshield. She knew that depending on how long the ride was going to be, he wasn’t going to let it be too depressing. As much as she liked hanging out with Saeyoung, she kinda wanted to get the nitty gritty of this out of the way. She text Mal that they were on the move and that it was finally time to deal with Mint Eye.

 

“So how long are we driving for? Where are they?”

 

He kept his eyes forward and his smile faded. _“An old abandoned apartment building about a day’s drive from here. They went pretty far and I’m kinda surprised they covered their tracks as well as they did. Since they were all gone when Yoosung and I went into Mint Eye, I still don’t know how many there are. I mean, really all we need to do is get in, talk some sense into V and Rika, and get them out. The cult should disband after that.”_

 

“Man I wish ‘should’ translated to ‘will’ more often than it does. I’m not letting you drive for a whole day and then deal with this. How often are we switching?”

 

He smiled again, glancing her way.

 

_“Every five hours sound good? I have plenty of music and stuff for us in the meantime. Or we could play a good old fashioned road trip game! Take your pick, I have it all!”_

 

That at least got her to giggle a little. Mal confirmed she was sending support to follow Zifeara’s phone, so they were ready to do this.

 

“Yeah, I think we can do that. I suppose what we do depends on your definition of road trip game.”

 

The first 5 hour shift they really just spent talking, subjects ranging from the craziest things they ever got into living the secret agent life to the stupid things Lisa did just the other day to the new drawing projects she had. After that, it was either one of them catching up on sleep while finding some music they liked, or both of them playing a game of Never Have I Ever, which honestly Saeyoung pretty much never won. It made her laugh way too hard to watch the different levels of horror and awe flit across his face as he was finding out that she was both much crazier and much kinkier than he thought she was. She wasn’t sure if he kept playing to find out more about what sort of nonsense she’d gotten into or because he genuinely thought he could beat her if he proposed the right scenarios. It was around the time she was running out of Nevers that didn’t involve some form of sexual scenario that he called it. He couldn’t keep up with her and finally admitted as much. She didn’t like the way he was looking at her as he segued into another, related topic of conversation.

 

 _“So speaking of can’t keep up with your ridiculous sexual exploits, I can’t help but notice that a certain blonde friend of mine keeps showing up to pretty much everything with an awful lot of marks that keep changing position from time to time. Do I have to do something to save him or has his innocent little heart just been_ **_that_ ** _corrupted?”_

 

Zifeara laughed again, shaking her head.

 

“Look, I don’t know how much he wants me talking about our sex life, so don’t tell him I mentioned it. I personally don’t care. Once he had the hang of things, he got into his masochistic subdom pretty quickly. Boy is a bottom with a capital B and he wants to go _all the time_.”

 

Now it was Saeyoung’s turn to lose it to laughter, nearly having to stop by the side of the road due to the tears in his eyes.

 

_“Ah God, I knew it. Zen owes me money.”_

 

She quirked a brow, hint of teasing in her voice.

 

“Had a bet on this, did we?”

 

_“You better believe I did. It took me five seconds after you two first started dating to know that you would break Yoosung. I have to ask for personal satisfaction reasons; on a scale of one to ten, how kinky is he really? I don’t have a bet on that, just… theories.”_

 

“Hahahaha, let me think.”

 

Realistically, her definition of kinky was pretty out there, especially if they were going based on the amazing streak she had going in Never. Despite that, she and Yoosung were still figuring things out in the bedroom since he had no prior experience and still got unbelievably flustered about things a lot of the time. She was convinced he _liked_ being embarrassed and ordered to do things, but she wasn't going to push him too hard. Yet.

 

“Currently I’d give him a solid four; he’s all about the biting, obviously, he’s got a pretty sizable praise kink, and if you really get him going- also easy to do- he will do _anything_ you tell him to if you say it firmly enough. Not gonna lie, I think he has the potential to shape up into a pretty hard seven; with as much of a sub as he is, I wouldn’t be surprised if he were into a whole lot of things I just haven’t worked him up to yet. We did _not_ have this conversation, Saeyoung. _Not ever_ , you hear me?”

 

He held one of his hands up, still snickering and trying to sound convincing.

 

_“Not a word, I swear on my honor as a Choi.”_

 

“Are you two really known for _honor_ of all things? You’d think you’d swear on your love of cats; at least we know that that’s a real thing.”

 

The redhead gasped in mock offence.

 

 _“_ **_Excuse_ ** _me! I am nothing if not a man of my word! It isn’t like I get to prove that to you very often since you_ **_insist_ ** _on doing things for me, but it’s true. Saeyoung Choi does not make promises he doesn’t intend to keep!”_

 

She was giving him a dubious look, but realistically, he gave her no reason to doubt him. And it wasn’t as if he didn’t owe her a million and one favors. Zifeara rolled her eyes but conceded, moving the topic to something else before they switched positions again.

They stopped for gas during her turn, but he had fallen asleep again and she was thinking of if it was really worth waking him just for a pitstop. She opted to fill the car up and move it, taking the keys with her after locking him in to grab some snacks and a couple of drinks. This little break allowed the Underground members she’d been alloted to catch up to them. Fell and Hellebore were just as ready to rumble as she was and with their destination confirmed, they all got on their way again. It wasn’t long before the alarm Saeyoung had set to wake him up for his turn went off. He looked around sleepily, noticing the drinks in the cupholders.

 

_“Huh? What’re these?”_

 

“I was going to grab an energy drink since I want to make sure I’m good and awake when we get there, so I grabbed you one, too. I didn’t know which you preferred, so I got one of each.”

 

He smiled and sat all the way up, turning the cans around so that he could see what they were before taking the Rockstar to crack it open.

 

_“Thanks. I could really use one of these…”_

 

“Haha, you looked like it. Good news is, Monster is my favorite, so good choice~ Our backup is right behind us, by the way. We’re as prepared as we’ll ever be.”

 

Saeyoung nodded and took a long swig of his drink.

 

_“Good. Let’s finish this.”_

 

***

 

They had been gone for two full days and it was driving Yoosung insane. Sure he’d gone home, played LOLOL, which was not nearly as much fun without Zifeara, spent time watching tv and movies with Lisa, done literally anything he could think of to keep himself from being a pest and asking Fang if he’d heard anything for the millionth time. By the time it was approximately 24 hours after Zifeara had left, the blonde already had his shoes on and was out the door and on the way to her house. Maybe he’d finally calm down if he could surround himself in everything that smelled like her. Was this what it felt like when _he_ went to Mint Eye? He could only hope Zifeara fared better than he had.

 

***

 

“Alright, ready.”

 

They had checked the comms, checked their weapons and holsters, and made sure that the camera she had strapped to her chest was working. If things went poorly, she wanted to have undeniable evidence of exactly what had and hadn’t happened. Showing was easier than telling, after all. The four of them made their way to the service entrance of the building, Saeyoung making quick work of the keypad. Things were much easier now that Mint Eye was down a genius hacker. The plan was to attempt stealth first. If that failed, they unleashed Zifeara and minimized casualties. If that failed, well… sucked to be a member of Mint Eye, they had people to find.

It was unfortunate that as soon as they opened the door, plan one was out; there were 3 cultists right there in the hallway. Unfortunate for them. Zifeara had really been hoping she got to have some fun for once as she wasn’t usually supposed to kick ass on her standard missions. Holstering her weapon as she launched herself through the door, she had the biggest smile on her face as [she roundhouse kicked the closest cultist into unconsciousness](https://youtu.be/RBZIDOnIdd0). Fell and Saeyoung were close behind, and it would seem the hacker’s agency training wasn’t just a myth. Hellebore hung back, not much one for fighting. She looked vaguely amused as she stepped over the bodies.

 

“So, where are we goin’, love?”

 

Her headset crackled and Fang hummed in her ear. He was back at home looking at a blueprint of the building, determining where the most likely places where major congregations of people could be. This was his usual task and it didn’t take him long to give an answer. _“Looooooks liiiiiiike… try the third floor, fifth door on your right once you exit the stairwell. Which, by the way, is at the very end of the hallway you’re in. If not there, I’ll give you another suggestion after?”_

 

“Gotcha. C’mon lads, you heard the man. Up we go.”

 

Moving through the building, it was pretty common for new cultists to catch on a little too slowly that there were intruders about. More often than not as soon as they saw the small pack of interlopers, they were already either gasping for air or on the floor. No one was fucking around today and this was why she had requested Fell specifically if he was free. As they worked through, she could hear Fang having a muted conversation with Michael, no one too terribly concerned since thing were progressing well. At least, that’s how Michael was trying to play it off. He hadn’t exactly _chosen_ to send Hellebore, she had volunteered herself. She had been bored.

Arriving at their destination, Zifeara motioned for Fell and Hellebore to hang back a little and keep lookout positions. The thought occurred to her that if Rika may really be as crazy as it sounded like she had become, fewer people might make the initial approach easier- especially if she recognized them. Pressing up to the doorway with Saeyoung right behind her, they listened. There was a hushed conversation going on, though one voice did sound vaguely feminine. Zifeara had obviously never heard Rika before, so she looked to the redhead to determine if this was their stop or not. He closed his eyes, straining to hear the person better, before opening them again. He nodded. And this was why Fang stayed home and did what he did; he was good at it. Time to put the plan into action.

Barely peeking around the corner and into the room, Zifeara couldn’t believe their luck. Towards the back of the large chamber sat what looked to be a stone altar, similar to the ones in a standard church. In front of said altar was a woman so blonde she _had_ to be Rika, making animated hand motions to accompany the quiet irritation pouring from her mouth. The man she was talking to had his back to the doorway, hands raised in what was supposed to be a calming manner. She would recognize that shade of teal from a mile away. The two people they needed were both right here and unguarded. Now if only things could _stay_ this easy.

Rearming herself and looking back one more time to ensure the hacker was as prepared as she was, Zifeara stood and calmly walked into the room, making sure to leave room for Saeyoung to get in right after. Rika caught the movement, eyes widening at seeing not only people who shouldn’t have been in here, but someone she recognized. Her gaze locked on to the older Choi, mouth still open from what she had been about to say to V. Who also turned to see what had caught her focus. This could go one of two ways and right now, it was hard to tell which it would be.

 

Rika smiled. It wasn’t comforting.

 

***

 

Teetering on the edge of sleep from sheer exhaustion and worry, Yoosung almost fell off the couch when the front door slammed open. It was absurdly early in the morning and the loud sound came out of seemingly nowhere. It was followed by frantic voices and what could only be described as sounds of pain that were all too familiar.

 

_“Come on, we have to get him into the guest bedroom! That should give you enough room.”_

 

_“Upstairs, to the left of the door at the top. Fell, turn to your right, man.”_

 

_“Hold him as steady as possible, please. I did what I could, but he might start bleeding again if you jostle too much.”_

 

Coming around the couch and towards the door, his heart caught in his throat. Zifeara was holding the door open, standing to the side as the same man that had rescued him from Mint Eye the first time, Fell, started backing in gripping a pair of legs. The rest of the body followed and Yoosung wanted to cry. He’d never seen Seven look that pale. Or that covered in blood. Fang was holding onto the better part of the hacker’s torso, trying his best to move as little as he could in any direction besides forwards. Once they started to ascend the stairs, an unfamiliar woman followed behind them, carrying a bag and Zifeara shut the door.

 

“What…”

 

Turning quickly, his girlfriend cursed under her breath. She had clearly not been expecting him to be here. She rushed to him, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him back into the living room, forcing him to sit on the couch while he could only stare after his friend being hauled upstairs.

 

_“-sung. Yoosung!”_

 

Zifeara turned his whole head so that he had to look at her.

 

 _“Stay here. I mean it, stay_ **_right_ ** _here. I swear, he’s going to be fine, I just need time to get everything squared away and then I_ **_promise_ ** _I will come back and tell you what happened. Don’t freak out. I have shit to do, stay calm.”_

 

No more had the last word left her mouth and she whipped around and rushed up the stairs after everyone else. His eyes followed her up, a general numbness blanketing his other emotions for the moment. He stared for an undetermined amount of time before touching his face where her hand had just been. It was only when he came away with blood that things finally started to sink in.

 

There was only so long that he could be a nervous wreck on the couch. He knew Zifeara had said to stay, but he figured she meant ‘stay down here and out of the way’ more than stay in one very specific spot. She had also said not to freak out, but that wasn’t exactly happening either. How are you supposed to do that when people carry your best friend into the house, bleeding and looking like he’s on the verge of death when you were already worried as it was? On one hand, he was just barely managing not to cry considering the state the redhead was in but on the other… he was really hoping that none of the blood on his girlfriend belonged to her. He ended up pacing around downstairs, moving to try to quell any of the emotions threatening to make him a nuisance to everyone else here.

He got his hopes up when he heard the door open upstairs, but it wasn’t Zifeara. Hell, it wasn’t even Fang. Fell exited the room, closing the door behind him and slowly making his way down the stairs.

 

Fell looked around for a moment before spotting him and waving him over. When Yoosung reached him, Fell motioned for him to hold out his hand, dropping a small camera into it when he cooperated.

 

“Uhm, what… is it?”

 

Fell mimed taking a picture. He pointed at it insistently. When Yoosung didn’t do anything, Fell took the video camera back, pushed a few buttons to pull up the last recording, and handed it back. He crossed his arms and planted himself in front of the stairwell.

 

Looking down at the screen, the blonde could see grass and a few trees, looking like wherever this was happened to be pretty overgrown. It was nighttime, so not much was highly visible, but he recognized the voice speaking instantly.

 

_“That should be it. Everyone else good?”_

 

Zifeara sounded chipper, pumped up for something or another. Seven’s voice somewhere off to her right was just as cheerful.

 

_“Yup! We should have everything set up now.”_

 

The camera moved around, making him realize why this thing was so small; it was a portable camera, like the ones meant to strapped on to something. Based on what he saw when it turned all the way around, Zifeara must had had it clipped onto something at about chest level.

 

_“Alright, ready.”_

 

They started moving towards a large, decrepit building. This… this must be where they had tracked Mint Eye to. Zifeara had recorded the whole thing. Moving slowly back into the living room, he sat down on the couch again. Yoosung didn’t know if he was ready to find out what had happened to end Seven up the way he was. He couldn’t bring himself to stop watching.

 

***

 

_“Saeyoung! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? It’s good to see you again.”_

 

The redhead stiffened to her right, bristling at the knowledge of what exactly Rika had been up to for all these years. Zifeara figured there was no point wasting time with pleasantries; the longer they let the witch talk, the easier it would be for her to get into Saeyoung’s head.

 

“Look, you know damn well why we’re here. Don’t you, Jihyun?”

 

He sighed and turned all the way around, already starting to try and make his case. _“Please, Zifeara… I know what you’re thinking, this isn’t-”_

 

“V, do you really think I’m going to believe a bloody thing out of your mouth after all the shit you’ve pulled? You can make this easy; we just want you and Rika to come back with us. No fight, no hassle, simple. You can either do exactly that or I’ll do this the hard way. For once since I’ve known you, do the right thing.”

 

The older man’s eyes darted to Rika, trying to determine what her course of action would be. Judging by the nervous expression on his face, this was probably not going to be as easy as anyone had hoped. The tilt of her head Rika gave was about as unsettling as things being quiet in a house with 4 cats and 3 toddlers.

 

 _“But I have so much to do! Ever since things went wrong the last time you showed up at Mint Eye, I’ve had a lot more to deal with myself. You know, since you_ **_took Saeran from me_ ** _. Even weak as he was, he was still responsible for a lot that I’ve had to take on to keep the disciples going.”_

 

Saeyoung almost imperceptibly flinched at the mention of his twin, but at least started to enact his plan. He was convinced it would work, so Zifeara let him try. _“Rika, listen to me. I won’t pretend like I’m not intensely angry about happened since I left, but… we just want you to come back. We all really missed you and just want to make everything okay again. Please?”_

 

V opened his mouth to say something, but Rika cut him off. _“Oh my dear boy, was anything ever really ‘okay’ to begin with?”_ She moved around, leaning some of her weight on the altar and setting a hand on the surface as one would in a bar. _“I spent so much time and effort trying to help people with the RFA and to what end? In the long run, people are still drawn to poor choices and things that make them unhappy. People love to suffer, Saeyoung. They love it so much that they often forget how important it is to follow suffering with happiness. Then there are those that have only happiness and forget how to appreciate it because they know no suffering first. I help people get what they need here; you cannot have one without the other. How is Saeran? He was so confused, so lost… I worry for him now that he has left. He was never as strong as you are, Saeyoung.”_

 

At this point, Zifeara was worried that Saeyoung was going to ditch his plan shoot Rika out of principal now; his hands were shaking on his gun and even though it was pointed at the floor just like hers, that could change in an instant. As much as she couldn't have cared less about Rika… Yoosung cared about her, and Zifeara wanted him to be happy. She was going to have to intervene.

 

“Rika, I’m giving you a choice here. All your friends really miss you and would like to see you. Choose them. Yoosung especially would like to see you again. He missed you so much.”

 

Something almost akin to worry crossed her features. _“Y...Yoosung?”_ Then she shook her head. _“I would have brought him to me first. He has so much sadness in him, I could have helped him. Had Saeran not failed, I would have.”_

 

This was unfortunate. The more she mentioned the other twin, the more agitated Saeyoung got. Zifeara could see him straining to control himself out of the corner of her eye. His anger was far from unfounded- Rika had done a million and one terrible things to Saeran- but it was starting to look as though he would rather shoot the woman than bring her home more and more by the second. Zifeara sighed. She may have to hope for 1 out of 2.

 

“V, if you have any common sense left in you, you’ll help us out, here. You know we don’t want to hurt either of you. We just want to get everyone home and get Rika the help she clearly needed a _long_ time ago.”

 

Rika seemed to be in the habit of not letting anyone think for themself around here. She didn’t even let V answer that before narrowing her eyes at Zifeara. _“You’re exactly like the others. To think that Saeran chose you... You only want to smother the darkness I’ve always carried. If it dies, I die and I can’t let that happen! V, you can’t let them do this to me!”_

 

For just a moment, it seemed like V was really considering protecting her. He looked from the pleading anguish on Rika’s face to the blatant anger on Saeyoung’s face to the collected warning on her own.

 

“Are you with us or against us, Jihyun?”

 

V hesitated as the gears in his head spun out of control, torn between the two most important things to him. _“I-I…”_

 

As soon as it was clear V was once again going to be of no help, Saeyoung snapped. _“Fine. Have it your way.”_ He started moving forward, holding up his end of the deal; he would handle Rika and she would get V.

 

Zifeara raised her gun to aim the barrel at V, stopping him from making a motion to keep Saeyoung from advancing on Rika. They were doing this the hard way and that was that.

 

“Sorry, Jihyun, we tried. If you aren’t part of the solution, you gotta stop enabling the problem.”

 

 _“Saeyoung, dear… I’m afraid.”_ Rika was shrinking back, almost trying to place the altar between her and the redhead. Her voice was small and wavering.

 

 _“Rika, this is for your own good, I promise. You’ll be fine.”_ He didn’t sound callous per se, but Saeyoung was clearly done trying to be nice. One hand reached for Rika just as she spoke again. His anger had made him careless.

 

_“I’m afraid I can’t let you do this to me.”_

 

Since Zifeara had been watching V to ensure he behaved, she hadn’t seen the danger Saeyoung was in. Rika had been inching closer to the altar so that she could snag the probably ceremonial knife from it and do her damnedest to plunge it into the hacker’s heart. A new madness crackled to life in her eyes, the kind akin to a trapped animal ready to destroy itself to escape. Since she missed on the stab, Rika quickly slashed, at least getting the redhead away from her. Saeyoung just barely managed to stagger backwards, meaning the blow wasn’t quite fatal, but the amount of blood pouring from the long gash across his torso promised it could be if they didn’t do something about it quickly.

 

“Shit-”

 

Twisting fast enough to not even give V a chance of processing what had just happened, Zifeara put every inch of her training with the gun wielders of the Underground to good use. She only needed a second or two to be certain of her aim. Pulling the trigger, Rika screamed as the bullet tore right through her forearm, making her drop the knife entirely and ensuring she wouldn’t be picking it back up again without lots of warning. Based on where the bullet hole was, that injury would be very treatable once they got back to Hellebore; it had pulled more towards the outside of her arm and probably just hurt like a bitch. Saeyoung’s however…

 

“Hellebore, we need a medic. Big laceration, targets mostly secure. Fell, we need restraints.”

 

Hellebore copied and Fell made his comm beep in understanding, meaning they were both moving in. Zifeara started inching towards Saeyoung, gun back to V since he looked like he was about to try something stupid. Rika was clutching her arm, but the high-pitched wailing she was emitting sounded less like she was in physical pain and more like she was realizing she had fucked with the wrong people and now her world was coming to an end.

As soon as Zifeara knelt by the redhead to try and comfort him and slow his bleeding, Rika panicked at seeing her so close. She grabbed the knife in her other hand and Zifeara almost shot her again, much less considerately this time. She wasn’t near enough to Saeyoung to go for him without moving, but she was still within range to be heard.

 

 _“I won’t let my darkness die by your hands. You took everything from me, but you won’t have this. This is mine and mine alone…”_ V stopped caring about the gun that had been pointed at his head when the blonde brought the blade to her own neck. _“You won’t take it from me!”_

 

Zifeara didn’t even bother trying to do anything about V now. She wasn’t fast enough to shoot Rika’s _other_ arm and by then, her backup was in the room.

 

“Hellebore, see if there’s something you can do to save her, I know how to handle this well enough.”

 

The other woman nodded. She charged over to Rika, shoving V away and immediately turned her on her side. One hand was digging through her bag and the other was carefully applying pressure to the cut. Rika was already unconscious and Hellebore didn’t look hopeful. She had abandoned the bag and had both hands near Rika’s neck but judging by the amount of blood everywhere there was nothing she could do.

 

 _“She’s done for. She got both the arteries. She’d need surgery now to even have a chance. I’m sorry.”_ Hellebore backed away, letting the other woman go.

 

“Then there was nothing you could do, thanks Hellebore. I’ve still got Saeyoung covered till we get on the road, I think.”

 

Riffling around in the medical bag, Zifeara did what she knew to at least stop Saeyoung’s bleeding from becoming entirely problematic right this second. He was walking the fine line between staying rational and going into shock, but the closer she got to being done with what she could manage, he was tipping into shock.

 

He grabbed one of her arms, holding on firmly enough that it hurt. He thought he might be fucked. _“Zifeara, pro-promise me you’ll take ca-ca- care of Saeran. Promise.”_

 

Trying to move around him, she did her best to be reassuring.

 

“Hun, this isn’t as bad as it looks and Hellebore is a great field medic, you aren’t-”

 

 _“_ **_Promise me!_ ** _”_

 

The look in his eyes was frantic enough that she gave up immediately.

 

“I promise Saeyoung. But you’re going to be fine.”

 

Hopefully. This seemed like it was really just a lot of blood, so if they stopped the bleeding, gave it stitches, and let him rest, he wasn’t going to have a problem. Just a new scar. At least he had either calmed down by her promise or shut down enough to let her finish. He was absolutely going to be fine so long as he didn’t lose too much more blood on the way back. You know, the 24 _hours_ it would take to get home...

Fell was busy getting V out of the way and keeping him there, already having secured his hands behind his back. He at least let V remain seated on the floor since he was having a mental meltdown over Rika. Hellebore walked over and knelt by him, apologizing, then helped Fell get him to his feet and out the door.

 

Zifeara spoke into the comms more than anything.

 

“Guys, how do you feel about stealing a van? Since you two took a car, it might be easier to transport bodies with a van. Saeyoung has to stay still and I think the RFA would be pissed if we didn’t bring Rika back at all.”

 

 _“I'll look for one right now.”_ Hellebore said. _“Shouldn’t be too hard to find one. Bring Saeyoung down.”_

 

“Get V in the van first, I can’t carry Sae by myself without opening this gash up again. I don’t think it’s fatal, but I do think we need to keep as much blood in him as we can. It’s a long drive home.”

 

Two beeps came from Fell, letting her know he would be up.

 

Fang spoke in her ear again.

 

_“Everything cool, Zia? You guys got this?”_

 

Looking from the grimacing redhead to the new corpse on the floor, Zifeara sighed. She shuffled Saeyoung so that he could rest his head on her lap while they waited for Fell.

 

“Yeah. Fang? How often has Yoosung been asking you if we’re okay?”

 

_“Hahaha, you know him so well. Every few hours or so. Why?”_

 

“Don’t… don’t tell him about this yet. I need to be there when he finds out.”

 

_“Okay. You took the gopro, right?”_

 

Realizing it was still recording and was, much to her horror, pointed right at what used to be Yoosung’s cousin, she quickly fumbled with it.

 

“Oh fuck, let me-”

 

***

 

When the camera indicated that the recording had come to an end, he couldn’t move. There were so many things going on inside his head right now that he couldn’t bring himself to focus. He knew he was crying- that had started the second he’d seen Rika, but they were only tears. He wasn’t sobbing yet. He didn’t have the wherewithal for that. Nothing felt… real; he was just having another nightmare like he did sometimes after everything happened when he went to Mint Eye. He would wake up soon and Zifeara would be there to soothe his frantic breaths, calm his tattered nerves, hum him that song that he liked to lull him back to sleep. The song she sang for him that night with… V. He knew V was alive. Even if this was a nightmare, he had a whole new reason to hate V. If none of it was real, V was now robbing him of sleep. Everything came crashing in when he definitely heard Zifeara behind him.

 

_“Yoosung?”_

 

He inhaled sharply, way too harshly, making his vision blur. That sounded like _real_ concern, _real_ caution in her voice. He struggled to look at her, slowly turning his head to peer over the back of the couch. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her look so nervous, so… hesitant about anything the entire time he’d known her. The tears still streaming down his face darted into his mouth when he whispered.

 

“You… you shot my cousin.”

 

Zifeara wrung her hands before holding them out as if she was approaching an easily frightened child, easing her way around to his side of the couch.

 

_“She was trying to kill Saeyoung. I did what I could to stop that from happening while causing her the least amount of harm. That bullet only took a chunk out of her arm, she would have recovered. We tried, Yoosung… we really did. None of us wanted anyone hurt, we wanted to bring them back here. I-”_

 

The knock at the front door made her pause, glancing from it to him, cautiously going to open it. He could still hear her even though she lowered her voice. Everything was becoming very loud. He was starting to shake. For all he knew, Rika had been alive maybe hours ago.

 

_“Hey, Saeran. Hellebore is just about done with him, but he’ll really want to see you as soon as she is. Come on in.”_

 

Yoosung watched Saeran enter the house, hunched in on himself and looking tired as always. He looked back to Zifeara as she gently pushed him towards the stairs and pointed to which door obscured his twin.

 

_“Don’t go in yet, alright? Fang is still in there helping, but he’ll pop out and let you know when you can see Saeyoung. He’s going to be completely okay, Saeran, I promise.”_

 

Saeyoung. That was a name he had been hearing a lot tonight. That was… Seven’s real name? At the time, it didn’t register all the way. Saeran nodded as Zifeara rubbed up and down his arm a few times before quietly making his way up to the second floor and sliding down the wall to rest by the door to the guest bedroom. He curled into a ball, arms over his knees and waited. Yoosung thought he had started crying, but he quickly realized that wasn’t coming from Saeran. It was him.

 

Zifeara turned back to him, racing around the couch this time before sitting down, pulling him into a hug. _“I’m sorry, Yoosung. I’m so sorry. Since Michael brought Fang over, he took the van back to the Underground. He’s keeping V detained till we can question him and… if you want… I can take you to see Rika tomorrow. I brought her back so that you could be sure this time. Once things settle down, she’ll get a proper burial.”_ She lifted his head so that he was looking at her. _“We’ll tend to her however you feel is right. Whatever you want, I’ll_ **_make it happen_ ** _.”_

 

He wasn’t in control of his actions. He wasn’t in control of what he said. He wasn’t in control of his _life_. He never had been.

 

“I _want_ my cousin back! I want everyone to stop lying to me! I want everything to be okay for more than a fucking _week_!”

 

He had never screamed at Zifeara before; not like this, not like _anything_ . He stood from the couch, fury threatening to overwhelm him, making him clench his jaw so hard it hurt. He wanted to scream more, to hit something, _someone_. To make them feel as bad as he did. The look in Zifeara’s eyes told him she already did. She shot his cousin. His mentally unstable cousin that had brandished a knife against someone who used to be her friend before officially taking her own life rather than come home. Rika hadn’t wanted to see him. Maybe she had never really loved him.

When he had thrown the door back open to leave Zifeara’s house, he had no clue. It felt like his brain was on fire and everything was starting to hurt. His lungs and throat burned from crying or maybe from the running he had been doing for god knows how long. He just needed to be somewhere else. Anywhere else right now. Somewhere where Zifeara couldn’t look at him like she didn’t know who he was.

 

As much as she wanted to, Zifeara didn’t stop Yoosung from leaving. She knew he needed time to process everything, to let it all sink in, but god she wanted to cry at the way he looked at her. He just… he wasn’t rational right now. Everything would be alright. She just had to wait. Be patient. She stared forward, not really able to do much more at the moment. She wouldn’t have known Saeran had come back down the stairs if he hadn’t stepped right in front of her.

She jumped, meeting his mint green eyes as he slowly tilted his head to the side, just ever so slightly. There was something alien about it; the gesture made Saeran look like a robot attempting to process which human emotion she was experiencing, but at the same time it was… sort of endearing. She had seen Saeran crying many a time now, either on the edge of a panic attack or just generally coping with something, but she was certain he’d never seen her even close. He knelt down, closer than she felt was really necessary, scanning her countenance. His expression hadn’t changed, still unreadable and stoic as he’d ever been, but she shied away when he lifted a hand and reached toward her face. He recoiled, almost bringing his hand all the way back to his chest, but extended it once more. He hesitated, fingers hovering inches from her cheek.

 

“S-Saeran…?”

 

His eyes darted from hers, only for a moment before his expression finally changed. It softened into what looked like concern before he moved his hand all the way, cupping her cheek and brushing away a tear she hadn’t noticed had fallen since he startled her. Saeran almost let go before bringing his other hand to her other side to do the same, huffing in frustration that this didn’t seem to be stopping her from crying, just making it worse. Now she couldn’t help it; she had never once seen this boy display empathy in any way other than grumbled apologies and even those were rare. By the sixth time he made a noise at having wiped tears from her face only for them to be replaced with more, she grabbed his hands and pulled them away, giggling at how ridiculous he was being.

 

“Saeran, stop, hahaha.”

 

He seemed to perk up a little at her laughter, but when she stopped and gave an appreciative smile, his face started to color. The red spreading across the bridge of his nose swallowed down all this freckles, seeping into the rest of his face and he started to pout. For as much as he lacked an awful lot of knowledge on basic human interaction and managing emotion of any kind, Saeran had really started to grow on her. Both twins had.

 

_“Zifeara?”_

 

Fang called from upstairs and Saeran nearly fell out of his own skin with how quickly he stood up to get away from her. Not only was he highly flustered by now, but that meant he could see his brother. He wanted to pretend so hard that he still didn’t care, but she could see how close they were every time she hung out with the twins. Rising from the couch herself, she just caught sight of Saeran disappearing into the guest room while Fang was leaning over the banister of her stairs. His hands were bloody, just like hers still were.

 

_“Come get cleaned up. You’re a mess and Saeyoung is fine. C’mon.”_

 

She sighed, trudging up the stairs so she could be shuffled into her room and subsequently bathroom. Fang sat her down on the toilet while he rinsed his hands off, coming back with a wet cloth to start cleaning her up too. She must have been doing the thousand yard stare a little too obviously if he automatically started doing this for her.

 

_“Where’s Yoosung?”_

 

“I… I don’t know. I knew he’d probably take this badly, but…”

 

He nodded, scrubbing drying blood from under her nails.

 

_“I’ll find him. He probably still has his phone in his pocket, I’ll get my laptop from home and make sure he doesn’t get too lost, okay?”_

 

Zifeara stared at the floor. Maybe he needed to be lost for a little while. She’d give him an hour before she actually went off to go get him. She felt tears prick her eyes again and strong arms wrapped around her.

 

_“It’ll be okay, Zia. He’s been through a lot and he’s just upset. Besides if I’m honest… that went pretty well with you in charge. Could have been a lot worse.”_

 

She pushed Fang off her before running a hand through her hair.

 

“Could have been worse? Kai, Rika is dead- like _dead dead_ , Saeyoung got seriously hurt because I didn’t tell him to curve his swerve even though I knew he was getting overly emotional, I underestimated our targets and all I managed to do was put people in danger! I’m a _terrible_ leader!”

 

He took hold of her shoulders, keeping her from looking away and smiled.

 

 _“You are not. You safely brought back one of two assets unharmed, Saeyoung is hurt yes but he’s alive and doesn’t have a debilitating injury which you saved him from by thinking fast and being a great shot, and yes Rika is dead but that was her choice and it was one you had no conceivable way of preventing her from making. You probably saved Saeyoung’s life, didn’t crack under pressure, made sure everything got handled appropriately, and tried every single thing you could to do this diplomatically. Don’t beat yourself up, you did what you could. What_ **_any_ ** _of us could, Zifeara.”_

 

She wanted to argue, insist she had done everything completely wrong and that she should have asked Michael for help to plan this like she had thought to but… thinking back on it, everything had gone perfectly until Rika decided to be 100% crazy as opposed to only 75%. She couldn’t fix crazy but she had tried. God had she tried…

Instead she just let Fang finish getting her more in order and making her go change before checking on Saeyoung, thanking Hellebore, and shuffling down to Fang’s place with him to try to find her very upset boyfriend. She couldn’t let him get lost or something just because he was mad at her…

 

Okay, the GPS said he was _right here_ and there was no way this was wrong. So where in the everloving Hell was Yoosung Kim? Looking around, the only thing here was a nice grassy field, some shrubs and- Oh. Looking up and around her, Zifeara would have spotted that blue hoodie anywhere by now. The tree Yoosung was in was by no means small, so it must have taken him a while to get up there. Ah well, when in Rome. He heard her walking around, sparing her only a glance before curling up into an even tighter ball. If he thought she was going away, he was dead wrong.

 

Yoosung knew he heard something. Looking down, he found Zifeara staring right back up at him. He should have known she’d come after him sooner or later. As much as he wanted to stay up here for the next foreseeable future, his head hurt, he knew he was dehydrated from running and crying, and honestly he just wanted to hug his cat. He really should go home. He looked forward again, taking in what he could see of the city from here. Everyone out there kept moving, even during all the times his own world crumbled. If anything, this time he had closure and could start properly moving on.

As soon as he looked back down to start to climb down, he noticed Zifeara was already walking away. Oh man… he should not have yelled at her like he did earlier; he recognized she was only doing what she had to in order to keep everyone safe at the time, it had been Rika who escalated things out of control. She was far sicker than anyone had thought. Just as he uncurled himself and was about to climb down to catch up to and apologize to his girlfriend, she turned around. And took a running start before leaping to grab a tree branch. She was coming up and was doing it far faster than he had. Watching her scale this huge tree was instilling a sense of awe in him that he was fairly certain he’d never get used to; every time Zifeara displayed a new aptitude for something, he was never unimpressed.

By the time she made it to where he was, Yoosung had lowered himself a few branches so that he wasn’t unreachable and could hold a conversation without yelling to each other. When Zifeara settled in near him, she wasn't even out of breath from climbing. She still approached him with caution, considerate to the fact he may still be hostile. For now he was tired and overly depressed.

 

_“Hey, babe. Asking how you’re doing would be a stupid question, so instead, do you think I can talk you into coming home? Yours or mine, I don’t care but at least somewhere safer than nearly a hundred feet off the ground?”_

 

He didn’t miss the way she nervously glanced from him to the grass below and it suddenly clicked that she was worried he’d do something very stupid right now. According to his psychology class, certain things ran in the family and suicidal tendencies might be one of those things. Zifeara didn’t know Rika wasn’t _actually_ his cousin by blood. He wiped the residual tears off his face with his sleeve and offered a weak smile.

 

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m definitely better now. I just… needed a little time to myself and I like how far you can see from up in a tree, that’s all.” She looked visibly relieved and he continued, “Zifeara, I’m sorry. I should never yell at you like that… especially since you didn’t _do_ anything. You tried your best, I-I know you did. I saw the tape with my own eyes, you… you tried to bring her home.”

 

God, why was he like this. Even though he had been certain he didn’t have anything left anymore for the time being, he was still wrong. The tears started to sting his eyes and he could feel the lump in his throat reforming with a vengeance. Why couldn’t he just be done?

 

“I heard you tell her I wanted to see her a-again, you tried, I know… It- it was Rika that did everything. She made Mint Eye, she- she hurt Saeran, she tried to hurt y-you and Seven, she…” He was done for again, the tears he shouldn’t still be able to make steadily making their way down his face as he acknowledged the thing he hated the most out loud. “She actually t-took her own _life_ as- instead of coming home! She didn’t _care_ about me anymore, just wanted to- to- stay gone and hurt more people!”

 

He was yelling again and gripped the branch he was on hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. At some point Rika had cared for him, but those days were clearly passed; now all there was to her was whatever it had been Mint Eye was really for. Had been for. He felt Zifeara lift her hands up to wipe his tears and when he opened his eyes, the guilt and regret he was met with erased even the smallest trace of anger he could have possibly harbored. His girlfriend had done nothing wrong, absolutely nothing.

 

 _“Yoosung, she was sick and needed help. A lot of help. Do you remember what I said a long time ago the first time you were upset about her having two sides?”_ He nodded. _“Okay, well I still think that’s true. There was still a part of her that very much loved you. Even though what she was doing was terrible and wrong,_ **_she thought_ ** _she was doing something good and she wanted that for you. Even though her ideas were twisted and warped, she thought she was trying to fix a problem.”_

 

“Yeah, well, Hitler tried to fix a problem too.”

 

Yoosung clapped a hand over his mouth. He had no idea where that had come from and it was so _unlike him_. Maybe all this anger he’d been holding onto was starting to fall off of everyone else and settle on a more suitable target. It was still mortifying to think that he had just compared Rika to Hitler of all people.

 

Zifeara stared at him in wide-eye astonishment for a moment or two, but before he could try to cover up what had just fallen out of his mouth, she grinned in amusement. _“I mean, that isn’t a_ **_completely_ ** _untrue analogy… Jesus Yoosung, maybe I really_ **_am_ ** _a bad influence on you… That was on like, a_ **_me_ ** _level of snark.”_

 

He really didn’t have anything to say for himself, so he just started to climb down, ensuring they both made it safely to the ground before hopping into Zifeara’s car with her and stating he’d like to return to his own apartment so that he could cuddle Lisa. She nodded and the ride there was quiet. Once they got into his room, she’d pet the cat a little and he had been able to sit calmly for a while, he relayed something he had been thinking about on the way here.

 

“I want to talk to Saeran.”

 

Zifeara looked up from the circling feline to shoot him a confused glance. As far as she knew, he was still marginally afraid of Saeran. He still had nightmares from time to time of being pinned to floor in a dark room while the younger Choi hovered over him, large knife in hand and ready to disfigure, disembowel, murder him or all three.

 

_“Honey, are you sure that’s a good-”_

 

“I can handle it. I have to. I… I want to know what Mint Eye was really like. What happened there.”

 

Now we went from confused to concerned again. _“Yoosung, that’s_ **_definitely_ ** _not a good idea. He’s told us most of what he went through and honestly… I’m surprised Saeran is as stable as he is. He went through Hell and came out only a little singed in the grand scheme of things. You really don’t need to know everything that Rika did while she wasn’t quite right; Mint Eye was a fucked up place-”_

 

“And that’s why I need to know. I _need_ to understand how bad she really was, that way I can have the whole picture and move on. To stop idolizing her and come to terms with the fact that she wasn’t a perfect angel like I always thought and that there was something _seriously_ wrong with my cousin…”

 

He needed that final piece of closure so that he could come to terms with how things really were. If he didn’t get facts straight from the only person that had actually lived through all of Rika’s secretive atrocities, he would never be able to truly face the reality of what had happened. Everyone would keep tiptoeing around his feelings and treat him like a fragile child until he proved that he wasn’t.

 

Zifeara sighed before putting her head in her hand and rubbing at her eyes. _“You won’t be able to do that for a while. Saeyoung lost a lot of blood and needs a ton of rest; Saeran isn’t going to leave him alone for more than a few minutes at a time till he can move around and function again. The twins are going to be living in my house until I feel like I can send Sae home and not worry about him.”_

 

He nodded, understanding that she was just looking out for her friends. He may still get jealous from time to time, but this was on a whole other level importance. This was like when he had first lost is sight; both twins needed her help right now and Zifeara wasn’t going to turn her back on them for anything in the world. She never did to people who were important to her.

 

“Then can… can I see her tomorrow? You said you’d…”

 

 _“Yeah, of course.”_ She moved from Lisa to him as he held his arms out for her. He pulled her close and made her sit, straddling him so he could bury his face in her shoulder. As she started stroking his hair, she continued in a softer tone. _“You know, there’s a lot of things that can be done nowadays when someone passes. Digging up the coffin to put her in it might be a little intrusive, but there are other ways.”_

 

He hummed in question as her other hand worked its way up and down his back. _“There are a ton of things you can do with human ashes. You could have her made into a really pretty glass orb that you could keep around if you want to keep her close still. They have this thing where they can mix her into basically a cement block, but they put it in the ocean and use it to kickstart a brand new coral reef.”_

 

His eyes were starting to water again. Zifeara had been thinking so many steps ahead, to a point even he hadn’t for his own family. Again she was doing so much for him- going so far as to think of a way to finally lay Rika to rest in a way that she could still do something good. She pulled back a little to look him in the eye.

 

_“If I weren’t destined for the family crypt, there’s the way I would have wanted to go.”_

 

“Yeah? What’s that?”

 

_“They take your ashes and mix it with some soil before putting a seed in it. As the plant grows, your body nourishes it, becoming part of the tree or bush and helping it to grow strong. I always wanted to be a really neat tree. We could do that and arrange for it to be planted right next to her tombstone so that she’s actually there.”_

 

For probably only the second time in a few days, he actually smiled.

 

“I think… that sounds perfect.”

 

***

 

The bell over the door chimed as per usual and this time, Kumo pushed the hidden switch to open the corridor down into the Underground with no questions asked. She knew exactly what they were there for. As they passed, she softly murmured _“I’m sorry, Yoosung,”_ and waved them through, into the depths of the organization. He nodded in acknowledgement as he started down in towards their destination. He had been in the underbelly of this place a few times now, so at least he knew where they were heading. That was when the problems started. Since Zifeara was behind Yoosung, she hadn’t seen that Michael had chosen this particular moment to move V. She only knew something was up because once they hit the bottom of the stairs, she ran right into the blonde. Once she saw what he was looking at, she almost picked him up and marched them right back upstairs. There was something about the way his shoulders relaxed after he initially tensed that stopped her, though…

Yoosung walked calmly through the room, advancing towards the other men but that was where they needed to go. As soon as Michael caught sight of him, he moved out of the way of the hallway, allowing Yoosung to pass. V had clearly seen him, or at least inferred based on colors who was here and kept his eyes glued to the floor. At least he did till Yoosung strode right up to him and got in his face as opposed to going down the clear hallway. Michael went to move V to somewhere safer again, but Zifeara held up a hand, signaling him to give it a second.

 

She came up behind her boyfriend who definitely had V’s attention. _“Can you see me right now?”_

 

The older man nodded before at least attempting to acknowledge what had happened. _“Y-yes… Yoosung, I- I can’t begin to-”_

 

 _“I know. So don’t.”_ Yoosung crossed his arms and she was impressed by how even his tone was. He had spent so long being so angry with this man and now that he was proven right… _“Just listen. I-”_

 

The blonde took a deep breath and exhaled before starting again. _“I’ve been spending the past few years of my life confused and angry and it’s completely your fault. I don’t know why you thought it best to keep as much as you did from me… from_ **_the entire RFA_ ** _, but to be honest… I don’t care anymore. I’m done trying to piece together what the Hell you were thinking all this time when I have much more important things to focus on. I have a cat to look after. I have school to get ready for in a couple of months. I have a girlfriend to spend time with and I’m sick of wasting that time doing things that stress me out when I could be out and happy with her. I have a life to live, V.”_

 

Zifeara could feel her jaw involuntarily drop a little bit. Yoosung sounded at least 10 years older and wiser right now and… she was _proud_ of him. She hadn’t thought at any point during this fiasco he could get himself together so quickly. He never had before.

 

V started trying to say something else, but Yoosung held a hand up and cut him off. _“Shut up. I don’t want a conversation, I_ **_want_ ** _you to listen to me for once in your life. I’m going to forgive you, Jihyun.”_

 

V snapped his head up, confusion painted across his countenance.

 

_“It won’t be today, probably not tomorrow or in the next few months either, but I am. Because you being a terrible person shouldn’t make me into one. I may not have who I am all the way figured out, but I do know I won’t let you bring me down to your level anymore.”_

 

Holy shit. She could feel the intensely wide smile spreading across her face. Yoosung was a man today. _Her_ man. She couldn’t possibly have even been any prouder of him.

 

_“That being said-”_

 

Ooookay, she was wrong. Yoosung moved fast enough that neither she nor Michael could have prevented him from punching V square in the jaw, but then again, she wouldn’t have and it didn’t look like Michael was too bothered either. _Now_ she couldn’t have been prouder. She was such a bad influence.

 

Yoosung still looked deathly serious as he shook his hand. It occurred to her that he’d very likely never hit anyone in his life. _“I hope that hurt at least half as badly as finding out my cousin had been alive this entire time you fucking asshole.”_

 

He moved around V as he was still reeling from the punch, heading down the hallway to finally say goodbye to his cousin for real. As Zifeara passed by V, they made eye contact and she smiled faintly.

 

“I don’t know what the RFA is going to vote we do with you when we tell them what happened, but at least you know no matter what, that boy is growing into a fine man regardless of what you’ve done.”

 

A single tear fell down V’s face as he returned her smile, softly laughing. _“Yes. Yes he is.”_

 

***

 

The door slid open and they made their way inside, exchanging pleasantries before things became awkwardly quiet.

 

 _“He’s in his room…”_ Seven held a hand out towards the hallway and Yoosung nodded, moving further into the house.

 

He didn’t miss the worried look that passed between the hacker and his girlfriend, but they didn’t stop him. Coming to the door to what used to be the guest bedroom, he knocked gently.

 

_“Yeah?”_

 

This was it. This would be the first time since everything kicked off that he would be alone with Saeran. Both Saeyoung and Zifeara believed it would be safe, but they weren’t so sure about the reasons he wanted to do this for. They still thought he didn’t need to know about this, but he was set in his ways and they gave up. Turning the handle and opening the door, he was greeted to the younger Choi sitting in a pile of papers, pouring over things written in a language he couldn’t quite discern along with Korean translations.

 

When his eyes locked with the mint green of Saeran’s own, the older boy shrunk in on himself nervously. _“Oh… you’re here. Saeyoung told me you’d be stopping by soon.”_

 

“Yeah, can I come in?”

 

Saeran nodded and gathered up his papers, setting them off the bed and making room for Yoosung to sit down.

 

 _“I um…”_ He looked off to the side before grabbing a pill bottle sitting on the nightstand and taking two of whatever was in it without even a sip of water. _“S-sorry, I’ve been… really nervous today.”_

 

Looking at the bottle after Saeran set it down, Yoosung could see that it was for Xanax. Now he was kinda starting to feel… _bad_ for Saeran. He was just as much a victim as everyone else if not moreso.

 

_“I wanted to, um, you know… apologize, for what I did to you. Zifeara told me that you got surgery and can see a bit better now, but I…”_

 

Saeran finally made eye contact and honestly, Yoosung thought he might start to cry. The anguished expression on the twin’s face was nearly unbearable as he whispered his next words.

 

_“I wish so badly that I could take it back.”_

 

“I accept your apology and I forgive you, Saeran.” He moved slowly, setting his hand over one of Saeran’s, which he had on his knees. “It wasn’t really your fault; you were taught to do horrible things and you weren’t… really _you_ at the time. I get it, I do. Besides, we can fix my eye in time, we can fix _you_ in time… you’re already doing so much better.”

 

Saeran swallowed and nodded, still looking a little distressed but at least a little relieved.

 

“I um…” Yoosung took his hand back and a moment to steady himself. “I kind of hate to ask you this, but it’s… really important to me.”

 

He had never really been in a situation to realize how bewitching Saeran’s eyes were; they were an unnatural shade of green from his contacts, sure, but it wasn’t just that. They were wide and broadcast his emotions as though they were a screen, shimmering with an intelligence and complexity that made him almost completely unafraid of the man that had haunted his mind for many a night. Saeran looked like a person now, not a monster.

 

“I want you to tell me… what happened to you at Mint Eye.” Saeran grew rigid, a deep seeded fear passing behind those eyes, but Yoosung quickly and softly said something else to keep him from freaking out too much. “Only as much as you can! I don’t expect you to share everything with me, only as much as you’re alright with. I just… I need to know what Rika was really like. I need it to move on.”

 

The Choi was very obviously debating whether or not he could go through with this, if he could stomach was Yoosung was asking him to do.

 

“Please? We can stop when you start to get too uncomfortable, but I want to know _anything_. No one has told me more than just barely why you are like you are. And I know if I hear it from you… that it’s the truth.”

 

 _“You… you’d really believe what I say that much?”_ When he said it, Saeran had a note of disbelief in his tone that made him sound like a child worried about sharing some knowledge with an adult and it being dismissed as nonsense.

 

“Of course I would. It happened to you, why wouldn’t you tell it how it was? Lie about something like that?”

 

Saeran hung his head and chewed on his bottom lip, still unsure of if he should or not. Yoosung wouldn’t make him if he didn’t want to but…

  
With a shuddering breath, Saeran spoke in a small and vulnerable voice. _“She… she took me when I was sixteen.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took forever to put out, but I kept not being happy with ideas and putting the whole thing off and working on everything but. Art by Thwippersnapple is incoming, so keep an eye out for that!


	23. The Epic Comic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detour!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this was just so cool that it had to have its own chapter! [Thwippersnapple](https://thwippersnapple.tumblr.com) is a goddess and I am in love with everything she makes ever.

As much as she wanted to, Zifeara didn’t stop Yoosung from leaving. She knew he needed time to process everything, to let it all sink in, but god she wanted to cry at the way he looked at her. He just… he wasn’t rational right now. Everything would be alright. She just had to wait. Be patient. She stared forward, not really able to do much more at the moment. She wouldn’t have known Saeran had come back down the stairs if he hadn’t stepped right in front of her.

She jumped, meeting his mint green eyes as he slowly tilted his head to the side, just ever so slightly. There was something alien about it; the gesture made Saeran look like a robot attempting to process which human emotion she was experiencing, but at the same time it was… sort of endearing. She had seen Saeran crying many a time now, either on the edge of a panic attack or just generally coping with something, but she was certain he’d never seen her even close. He knelt down, closer than she felt was really necessary, scanning her countenance. His expression hadn’t changed, still unreadable and stoic as he’d ever been, but she shied away when he lifted a hand and reached toward her face. He recoiled, almost bringing his hand all the way back to his chest, but extended it once more. He hesitated, fingers hovering inches from her cheek.

 

“S-Saeran…?”

 

His eyes darted from hers, only for a moment before his expression finally changed. It softened into what looked like concern before he moved his hand all the way, cupping her cheek and brushing away a tear she hadn’t noticed had fallen since he startled her. Saeran almost let go before bringing his other hand to her other side to do the same, huffing in frustration that this didn’t seem to be stopping her from crying, just making it worse. Now she couldn’t help it; she had never once seen this boy display empathy in any way other than grumbled apologies and even those were rare. By the sixth time he made a noise at having wiped tears from her face only for them to be replaced with more, she grabbed his hands and pulled them away, giggling at how ridiculous he was being.

 

“Saeran, stop, hahaha.”

 

He seemed to perk up a little at her laughter, but when she stopped and gave an appreciative smile, his face started to color. The red spreading across the bridge of his nose swallowed down all this freckles, seeping into the rest of his face and he started to pout. For as much as he lacked an awful lot of knowledge on basic human interaction and managing emotion of any kind, Saeran had really started to grow on her. Both twins had.

 

  
  
  
  



	24. Bad Ending: Error Code 573

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoosung has made it through the most important bits of his route successfully, but all it takes is one incorrect choice to get the bad ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know that as the MC, we have several ways of getting the bad ending to a route. Bad relationship endings or bad story endings, they all hurt but seem easy enough to avoid. What if... what if you weren't the only one trying to avoid certain choices? What if the guys could bad end the game just like you can? 
> 
> This is just like the bad ending in Saeran's fic in this series; it isn't canon to my story nor is it based on any real bad ending you can get in the game.
> 
> Your general song for the chapter, or at least the first bit, belongs to Zifeara and is [No Excuses by Megan Trainor.](https://youtu.be/kton-qrKNLc)

“Damn it!”

 

He had lost again. This other guild that was raiding his was really starting to piss him off. They had started this war an hour ago and weren't letting up. Yoosung had originally gotten on to forget what utter crap his day had been, but this wasn't helping like he had hoped it would. As he waited to spawn back in, he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He had been playing since he got home from school only five hours ago and if he could just get rid of these guys, he could do the guild battle they had all originally planned to earlier. And if he did that, he could try to get the items he needed for a new warhammer. And if he did  _ that _ , he could up his attack significantly. And if he did  **_that_ ** …

 

***

 

Zifeara was already irritated. She had called her boyfriend three different times and he wasn't answering. There were only two reasons why that ever happened and if he wasn't in trouble, he was about to be. For the past two months Yoosung had been acting differently. It hadn't been obvious at first; instead just little things off about him. He didn't text her as much as he used to. He didn't tell her about his day unless she asked. He would sometimes zone out when she was talking when he used to pay a lot more attention. Then it got more noticeable. Sometimes he would snap at her for no reason. He would stop telling her when his tests were. He would tell her he didn't want her to come over because he was too tired or busy.

Almost three weeks ago now it became a problem. He missed her calls more often. He was far more irritable when she did talk to him. They had completely stopped having sex because he never wanted her around. She finally went over without telling him and the apartment was a mess. He actually yelled at her for surprising him like that and Yoosung never yelled. Not at her. Zifeara had noticed on her way out the pile of crumpled paper in the corner. He was failing his tests. He was reverting back to the way he was when she first joined the RFA, but now it was so much worse. It wasn't as if everything had been all roses since then; he had definitely had periods of depression again, but it had never been this bad. Now he was pushing her out. She was turning her key in the lock to the apartment when she heard it; the absolutely unmistakable sounds of Yoosung losing. Badly.

 

_ “No, no, no! He's on your  _ **_left_ ** _ , left! Are you fucking  _ **_kidding me_ ** _?! How did he get past you? No, just let me- ah, ah,  _ **_fuck_ ** _!” _

 

He slammed his head on the desk, still cursing and being generally angry. The blonde hadn't even seen her come in. His room still looked horrible, somehow even worse than the last time she was here, but that wasn't quite as bad as seeing Yoosung stuck in the game again. Zifeara didn't set her things down or even take her shoes off, she just walked in stood arms crossed and glaring at the man in the headset who should surely be getting ready for bed after studying this evening. Yoosung should have caught the movement from the corner of his eye, but she was on his bad side. If she wanted any of his attention, she'd need to announce herself. 

 

“Yoosung Kim, what are you doing?”

 

He jumped, turning his head quickly to look at her. His surprised expression was quickly replaced with anger as he told whoever he was playing with to wait a moment and took his headset off. 

 

_ “Zifeara, what are you doing here? I was trying to relax after the awful day I've had.” _

 

“Well I tried to call you three different times tonight and you didn't answer your phone, so I wanted to make sure you were even still alive.”

 

The blonde stood and scoffed, also crossing his arms.

 

_ “Of course I am, I can take care of myself.” _

 

“Well you could have fooled me; your apartment looks like a disaster zone,  _ you _ look like you haven't been sleeping well, and based on the pile of dishes I can see in your sink you haven't been eating anything good for you. What is going on, Yoosung?”

 

He scowled and looked to the floor, clearly not expecting to have this fight today. This usually meant he didn't have an excuse that sounded good yet.

 

“And it isn't just that. You've been acting very unlike yourself lately, even for one of your depressive spells. I'm  _ really _ worried about you…”

 

_ “What do you know. You don't know how hard it is to manage everything at once; you dropped out of college and have anything you could ever want at your fingertips.I just want to relax when I get home for a change.” _

 

_ Ow _ . That was extremely uncalled for. Neither of those two things were untrue, but he knew damn well she understood what it felt like to not want to deal with the world. Her whole family was dead for fuck’s sake and she still didn't live like this. She had at least asked for help when she got that way. All she was doing was worrying over her boyfriend as she had done since they started dating and now she had two months worth of thankless spite. Something inside her snapped. Yoosung had challenged the Dragon one too many times and now it was ready to fight.

 

“What do  _ I _ know? I know that a few months ago when you started doing this I was very forgiving and tried my best to be supportive and pull you back out of it. I know I was gentle because you've been through a lot but were doing much better. I know I tried not to think anything of it when you started talking to me less and less, just thinking maybe you needed some room for a change. I know that this hole you're digging yourself is going to be even harder to get out of than the one you were in when I  _ met _ you and that you could really use the help I want to give. I know that even though we just keep fighting every single time I'm here, I keep coming anyway; just hoping that one of these times I can step through that door and my  _ boyfriend _ will be here. I know that I'm  _ exceptionally  _ sick of whoever  _ you _ are and am generally pretty pissed at what an absolute  _ cunt  _ this person who looks like my boyfriend has been to me!”

 

She had resorted to name calling. It was childish, but Zifeara didn't realize her patience had been worn so thin for the boy she had been head over heels for the past seven months. She could feel the beginnings of angry tears burning her eyes, but they probably weren't that noticeable yet. God, she hated how she cried when she was mad. 

Yoosung’s expression had been dark during her entire tirade, but now he had a fire to match her own. He was boiling over just as much as she was now.

 

_ “Well it hasn't exactly been all sunshine with you either! All you do is come here and yell at me! You have been for a while now! Always ‘did you study yet’ or ‘is your homework done yet’, never ‘let me just  _ **_be_ ** _ around you for a while’ or ‘do you want to come forget schoolwork for a bit’!  _

 

“Are you  _ kidding me _ right now? That's your argument? Yoosung, every time for the past  _ two months _ I've tried to hang out with you, you've told me you're tired or busy or just want to stay in. When I ask to come over you've said the same things.  _ Shit _ , I asked you  _ three days ago _ if you wanted to come out and see me tomorrow after your classes to get you out of your apartment!”

 

Zifeara couldn't believe this was really the logic he was putting forth.  _ She _ wasn't trying hard enough. His look of indignant disbelief was ridiculous.

 

_ “What? No you didn't.” _

 

“Yes, actually I did! I text you Monday morning. It's  _ Thursday _ , Yoosung.”

 

_ “No… no it isn’t.” _

 

He had legitimately lost track of time. Did he even go to his classes anymore? Did he do anything anymore? Her Dragon was only gaining more and more fuel to stoke its fire. It didn't have any gentle left; they were fresh out and only had mounds of anger and hurt.

 

“Check your phone for once, asshole. Tell me I'm wrong then.”

 

He had been reaching for the device, but stopped short once she spoke. Her Dragon had spit gasoline onto his.

 

_ “Zifeara, what the fuck? I'm  _ **_sorry_ ** _ I haven't been paying as much attention to you as you want me to. I'm  _ **_sorry_ ** _ I'm still recovering from the time my entire  _ **_life_ ** _ went haywire. I'm  _ **_sorry_ ** _ I'm not perfect like you want me to be, but I-” _

 

“Yoosung, I don't want you to be fucking  _ perfect _ , I just want you to be  _ here _ ! To say so much as  _ hello _ to me! To give me any indication whatsoever you even  _ love me anymore _ !”

 

That did it. The first angry tear fell from her eye as a glimmer of recognition passed through his. 

 

_ “Zifeara, you know I do-” _

 

“No, I don't! I don't think I rightly remember when those words last left your mouth! I used to be so happy to come into this apartment because you were here and everything about this place told me you loved me. Now I just…”

 

They say realization is heavy, but that isn't always true. Sometimes realization is sharp and it burns; burns like a searing dagger being plunged into you. 

 

“I'd… I'd rather be anywhere but here… I'd rather be  _ anywhere _ but here!”

 

A few more tears fell as she came to terms with what this was really about. She was scared of being alone again. That's why it had been two months. 

 

_ “Zifeara… don't. Look, come here and sit down. Let's both mellow out and then we'll talk about this.” _

 

It was the first reasonable thing he'd said in weeks, but it was too late. Her Dragon was burning alive in its own fire. 

 

“No. I've given you more chances than  _ anyone _ else has ever gotten and you've thrown them back at me every time. I can't do this to myself. Not again. I'm done.”

 

Yoosung was still standing, but he had moved closer once he suggested they calm down. Now he moved closer still as she had lowered her voice to a much lower volume than he could hear from where he was.

 

_ “What?” _

 

She clenched her fists. Her voice was back and now her anger had a purpose. She had to save herself. There would be no paladin to do it this time. She was fighting fire with a different kind of fire.

 

“I said no, Yoosung. I'm. Done. I'm breaking up with you.”

 

She watched for just a moment as his eyebrows knitted together and a look of confusion spread across his face. He looked like she had told him nothing more perturbing than the fact that cows actually have four stomachs. He shook his head as she turned to leave, catching her by the wrist to stop her from going. Zifeara froze and a chill ran down her spine. Not again.

 

_ “Don't be ridiculous. Come here.” _

 

He was holding on tighter than he should have been, turning her back around to face him. Not again.

 

“Yoosung, you heard me, I mean it. Now let go.”

 

He only had one of her wrists, the right one, so the other hand started to twitch at her side. The look in his eyes was much more stern than he had ever managed while fighting directly with her. As if he just had to believe this wasn't happening and it wouldn't. As if he was not taking no for an answer. Not again. 

 

_ “Zifeara, stop. Think about what you just said and stop. You aren't thinking straight, now come lay down with me and relax.” _

 

He pulled her a step back into the room, tightening his hold on her wrist to a vice grip now. He was going to leave bruises.  _ Not again _ .

 

“No,  _ you _ stop, Yoosung. I'm leaving. Let- let go of my arm, you're hurting me.”

 

He didn't listen. If anything, that made his unconcerned expression that much more certain. She didn't know he could be this way, but if she had… He pulled once more.

 

_ “No you aren't, you're staying here and we're fixing things. You are not breaking up with me, Zifeara!” _

 

_ Not again.  _ **_Never again._ **

 

The Dragon rose from its plight; scales singed but ready to use everything it had left as a weapon. She was breathing too fast. She brought her free hand as hard as she could across Yoosung’s face, startling him enough to let go of her. She had to make it to her car before the storm she knew was coming crashed. Hyperventilating in front of a crazy person was a bad situation to be in. 

Zifeara was out that door faster than she had been in line for the new Bokémon game. She moved as though Hell itself was right on her tail. She was more scared of the blonde demon she had created more than any Lucifer could offer right now. They say fear is one Hell of a drug, but they never said it was a good trip. She got into Azazel but didn't take even a second to think; if she did she would panic feet away from the last place it was safe to do so. She needed someone. It was Thursday. 10:28 pm. Kai was working and she knew he would drop every single responsibility he had if he saw her crying. Malaya was out in the field and wouldn't be back for days. She had to move. She couldn't go home. That would be the first place someone who  _ really _ wanted to find her would go. 

She drove on autopilot without even realizing it. Zifeara didn't even remember starting the car much the less choosing where she was going. She was working too hard to keep herself functional enough to do that. The car stopped moving. She was somewhere. It was too late. Her breathing spiraled out of control and her vision constricted, making it even more impossible to determine where her impaired mind had left her. She hoped it was somewhere at least quiet enough to lose her shit in her car for an hour or two. She curled into a ball on the driver's seat, hugging her knees like they were a friend she hadn't seen in years. 

Through her heavy breathing and muddled head she heard something near her. Did she even lock her car doors? Now would be a really bad time to get kidnapped. Something touched her. She was moving. Still in a ball but moving. She didn't care. She stopped again. Wherever she was had a familiar smell that she couldn't place in her current state. It made her a little sick; like it was way too sweet. It was as quiet as it could be through labored breathing broken only by attempted sobs. Time passed, more noise, more moving. Stopped again. More touching. Gentle touching. Warm. She was warm and comfortable and still freaking out. Who knows when she stopped the panic enough to be aware, but whatever had moved her was trying to get into her ball. It was opening her up. It felt like a hand on her thigh. It felt like it was in for a bad time. 

Zifeara finally had air in her lungs again. She flailed at whatever,  _ whoever  _ was touching her, shoving them away and only managing to rasp out the word ‘no’ a few times. She was pretty sure that's what she said. At first when whoever took hold of her hands, she fought harder, but she finally understood that the grip on them wasn't the same one from earlier. It was firm, sure, but seemingly only enough to prevent her from hitting them more. It wasn't until she saw a familiar color that she really stopped to try and focus. She finally listened enough to hear what whoever was saying.

 

_ “Zifeara, hey, shhhh. You're okay, you're safe here. It's just me. Eeeeaaaasy.” _

 

Thank god her brain had some semblance of sense left. Gold. The color of kings. The color of autumn sunshine. The color of Saeyoung’s eyes. Her own darted around, taking in the familiar setting. She was in the hacker’s room on his bed. The clock on the nightstand glowed a bright 11:57. She would have been more concerned of being on his bed with him considering the way he was holding her, but panic gave way to enough common sense to know why this wasn't a problem. Saeyoung did this exact thing almost once a week with Saeran. He was well versed in panic attack now. Her tattered mind could only speak her native English at the moment.

 

“S-S-Sae-Saeyoung… I’m- d-don't- Yoo, Yoo-”

 

_ “Shhh, breathe. Yes it's me, I've got you. You parked your car in front of my gate and I came out and brought you into the house. I was just trying to get you to look at me to settle you down… I'm sorry I scared you. Whatever happened, you're safe now. Just calm down so you can tell me what’s going on.” _

 

The panic wasn't gone, but it was subsiding. She  _ was _ safe here. Zifeara was willing to bet it would take Yoosung a long time to figure out where she had gone if he was even looking, much the less get into the bunker. You had to speak Arabic to get in and the only person she knew could do that besides the twins was Mal. That and she had absolute faith if he did manage to show up here, Saeyoung would put two and two together well enough that he wouldn't let Yoosung in. It wasn't a giant secret they weren't doing great lately, but the hacker knew better than the rest of the RFA.  Zifeara had been spending a lot of time here.

As soon as she was aware of exactly where she was and who had been moving her, Zifeara let go, no longer caring how held together she was. She buried her face in Saeyoung’s chest, less losing her mind and more losing her nerve. After the first sob, he realized she was done trying to hit him and released her hands, opting instead for hugging her as tightly as he could. 

 

_ “Will you let me get you under blankets? It was chilly outside and you were shivering when I picked you up. I'm worried you're still too cold.” _

 

She nodded and soon there were about 5 blankets around them in a nest, not to mention the way he radiated heat at all times. If she wasn't so upset, this would have been nice. Zifeara must have cried for a good half hour, letting everything she'd kept in for the past two months out. There was a reason besides the obvious she had been spending so much time with the hacker recently; not only was he generally fun to be around, they both could lean on each other without too much trouble when things were hard or they were generally depressed. They both dealt with emotions much the same way, so they understood exactly what the other needed. For her, Saeyoung was like Fang but less troubling since the first thing that came to his mind upon seeing her in tears wasn't murdering whoever was responsible. 

Once she could talk again, Zifeara wasn't really sure she wanted to. She had missed being smothered in blankets and being held. She knew Seven would wait for her to tell him what was going on, so realistically she didn't have to… but she also had to clear up the misunderstanding trying to tell him what had happened in English had caused.

 

“Sae.”

 

He looked down and smiled, still patiently waiting for the story of whatever it was that had gotten her  _ this _ shaken up. It occurred to her that he hadn't had his glasses on when she had first looked at him and she always forgot how his face was without them. Even though they were twins, she insisted that he and Saeran looked very different unless you were a moron. She unwound her arms from around his waist and brought the bruised one up in between them. At first he didn't understand what she was doing, moving the arm he had around her shoulders to take her hand, thinking that was what she wanted. He raised an eyebrow but then actually looked, the darkness of his room not hiding the obvious marks on her wrist. His expression was immediately furious; the cold kind of rage that promised hidden but certain vengeance.

 

_ “Zifeara, what did you… That… those are a handprint.” _

 

“Y-yeah. I… I broke up with Yoosung. I just- just didn't have anything left and I had to do what was best for me so... He didn't believe me when I told him it was over and…”

 

_ “That's why you were panicking. It was just like last time.” _

 

“I wouldn't say just like it, but it definitely reminded my instincts of a time when I could have been seriously hurt so I freaked.”

 

_ “Okay. Zifeara, do you-” _

 

A beeping noise sounded from a hidden speaker in the ceiling; shrill, fast, and only twice. Saeyoung snapped his head up and glared at the source of the sound. She knew what that noise was. The proximity alarm for the front gate had gone off. Someone was at his door. Zifeara was about to ask the easy question, but he already knew she would.

 

_ “Saeran is in his room.” _

 

He got up and pushed the blankets off, holding out his hand to help her up. She didn't want to know who was at the door, but he gestured again to get up and she did. She trusted him. Saeyoung very quickly took her hand, but instead of leading her out of his room and towards the front door, he went out and across the hallway, stopping in front of Saeran’s room and knocking. The other twin opened his door with a neutral gaze, but his older brother's serious tone made him narrow his mint green eyes.

 

_ “Saeran, watch her. No one else is coming into your room.” _

 

Saeyoung held Zifeara’s hand out for his brother to take and the younger twin was quick to notice the bruises. Saeran opened his door wider and led her in while Saeyoung went to the front door. Saeran locked the door behind them and sat on his bed, tilting his head in a question of what was going on. She sat down with him and sighed, shaking her head. He nodded and they sat in silence until a noise from the other side of the house made her jump. Saeran tensed before standing in front of her and glaring at the door, listening harder for any more sounds. Zifeara had a good idea of who was here, but no idea of what was happening or what would come next. All she knew was that based on Saeyoung’s expression a moment ago and Saeran’s posture right now, she had two very formidable twins on her side.

 

***

 

She of course hadn't been at her house, Fang had been working on something for the Underground but hadn't seen her, Mal was out of town, and most of the RFA was asleep. He had one idea that just kept coming back, so eventually he gave in and followed it: Zifeara was at Seven’s house. They were always close since everything that happened with Mint Eye meant she had saved his brother and they did hang out a lot. It took him a while, and it was late when Yoosung made it to the bunker, but the feeling he was right only grew stronger. He still couldn't believe any of what had happened tonight was real. Zifeara had actually hit him. Not for fun either; earnestly, maliciously hit him. Granted she had a point about him ignoring her, but he had tried to fix that. All he wanted was for her to stay there and try to talk her out of such a bad idea. Was that so wrong? Maybe now she would be more reasonable since it had been over an hour since she had left.

Yoosung knew from all the times he'd been here if he stood right in front of Seven’s front door and ignored the voice computer, one of three things would happen; either the hacker himself would come onto the intercom, the door would slide open automatically and allow him in, or Seven would actually come to the door. Tonight proved to be the latter. The redhead was in his pajamas and didn't even have his glasses on, looking as though he was roused from sleep. 

 

_ “Yoosung? What are you doing here at this-” _

 

“Where is she?”

 

_ “Hmm? Who?” _

 

“You know damn well who, she's always over here anymore. She isn't at her house and neither Fang nor Mal have seen her tonight. Let me in.”

 

He started walking forward, obviously to get into the bunker, but Seven put a hand on each side of the doorframe; still calm as anything but dropping any pretence of ignorance. Right now it was very obvious the hacker was bigger considering Yoosung only stopped when he was right in the other's face. No one was going to keep him away from his girlfriend. 

 

_ “Yoosung, I'm giving you one chance to back down. You are not coming into this house and you are not getting anywhere near Zifeara. Not while I'm around, not while  _ **_Saeran_ ** _ is around. You know he's worse than I am. Leave.” _

 

He knew it; she  _ was _ here. Of course she was. Zifeara had  _ always _ liked Seven a little too well for his taste, but there was no way of keeping her from doing what she wanted… with who she wanted. Yoosung had dealt with Saeran once before, but two against one wasn't great odds. He needed to change tactics. He took exactly one step out from under the older man's nose.

 

“Seven, please, I just want to talk to her. She isn't answering her phone and I need to apologize to my girlfriend. I haven't been spending enough time with her lately and she's upset.”

 

Seven narrowed his eyes and sneered, adopting an agitated tone the blonde had rarely heard, much the less with so much venom.

 

_ “You're right, she is upset. Yoosung, I  _ **_know_ ** _ you know all about Zifeara’s ex. You met him, for fuck’s sake. She has a  _ **_massive_ ** _ bruise on her arm from where you grabbed her. You sent her into a full blown panic attack. You did to her very nearly  _ **_exactly_ ** _ what her ex did! And you need to get the fuck out of here before I do to you what she did to him. Zifeara is  _ **_not_ ** _ your girlfriend anymore Yoosung, and after what you did, she is  _ **_not_ ** _ taking you back either. Now  _ **_leave._ ** _ ” _

 

The redhead was lying. He was nowhere  _ near _ as bad as the asshole Zifeara had had before him. Yoosung was willing to admit he may have been a tiny bit too overbearing, but there was no way he couldn't fix this. She wasn't really done with him. She loved him. And Saeyoung loved her. He had always wanted to steal Zifeara just like Zen did and now the hacker had his chance while she was confused and sad. He couldn't let this happen. He would take the bad odds.

When Yoosung threw the punch, he had expected to connect with Seven’s face but he hadn't expected the hacker to take it so well. While the noise indicated it was a good blow, Seven wasn't even dazed. All that happened was he thudded into the doorframe and snapped back, quickly jabbing under the blonde's ribcage, knocking the wind out of him. Seven pushed him backwards so that he fell further away from the bunker and onto his back, unable to properly breathe or move anymore. All he heard was the bunker door slide shut after the last three words from his former friend that would be exchanged between them for weeks:

 

_ “She said no.” _

  
  


That felt kind of fantastic. Saeyoung had sort of hoped Yoosung would try something so that he got to even slightly kick his ass for what he had been doing for the past few months, even more so for what he had done tonight. He knew the blonde had the capacity to be what the kids called ‘yandere’, but at least it was not the most extreme thing he could have done. Still excessively  _ stupid, _ but nothing Zifeara couldn't handle at the time. After slamming the button for the door, he started walking back down into the bunker, adrenaline pumping and fury buzzing in his skull. He might have missed the taste of blood if there weren't so much of it. He had to spit this out. Making his way to the bathroom, Saeyoung called to his brother a little further down the hall.

 

“Saeran, she's good!”

 

It sounded a little garbled, but he was sure they heard him well enough. He spat into the sink before making sure none of his teeth were loose. Who knew Yoosung could hit so hard? He heard the door click as he was rinsing his mouth followed by hurried footsteps. He smiled when Zifeara poked her head into the bathroom. 

 

_ “Saeyoung? Are- are you okay?” _

 

“Yup! Totally fine! God 707 is invincible!”

 

She wasn't buying it; she knew him too well already. She moved over and gently turned his face towards her, furrowing her brow in concern.

 

_ “You idiot, you're bleeding, water isn't going to fix that. Stay here.” _

 

He wondered how she knew that, but catching sight of his own reflection answered that; he had blood on the corner of his mouth. Zifeara left the room and turned towards the main area of his house and for a fraction of a second, he was scared she'd go towards the door. Reason said she wouldn't, but he wasn't running on reason right now. He was running on the thrill of laying the smackdown on another guy for the girl he loved but couldn't have…  _ used _ to not be able to have. He shook his head at the thought, scolding himself for even daring to think that way at a time like this. She needed him to be her supportive, silly, protective  _ friend _ for the next foreseeable future and that's exactly what he would be. For as long as that's what she wanted. He almost jumped out of his skin when Saeran leaned around the corner.

 

_ “Fine?” _

 

“Gah! Uh, yeah, everything is okay. Thanks, Saeran.”

 

His brother was staring unblinking, almost sizing him up.

 

_ “Now what?” _

 

“Now I do what I do and keep Yoosung away from her till I can be sure he's back to normal.”

 

_ “...Not what I meant.” _

 

_ Oh _ . This was the worst part of being twins. Saeran knew everything and was  _ smug _ about it. With a grumbled ‘shut up’, Saeyoung turned to spit more blood out and turned back to find his brother gone. He could swear the Angry Marshmallow was like the friggin  _ Cheshire cat _ sometimes. Zifeara came back holding a cup full of water and what looked like a wash cloth with something in it before he could glare down the hallway. 

 

“I thought you said water wouldn't fix anything?”

 

She rolled her eyes and handed him the cup.

 

_ “It's warm salt water, doofus. It should help slow the bleeding till it stops, just put some in your mouth, swish for about ten seconds over the cut, then spit. Do that till you run out or it stops.” _

 

He did what she asked, all the while she continued to mill around the bathroom, not directly looking at him. She was making him nervous. She couldn't be  _ mad _ about him getting Yoosung away from her right now, could she? His mouth stopped bleeding just before he ran out of water, but he finished the cup anyway, setting it on the counter and attempting to leave the room. He made it about a step before he found out what Zifeara had the washcloth for. She reached up to his face, hand on one side and washcloth on the other where Yoosung had hit him. The cloth was cold and it clicked for him that it was filled with ice. She sighed and looked down at her feet.

 

_ “Your face is gonna swell up… I'm really sorry, Saeyoung. I could have dealt with him myself. I didn't plan on coming here and I definitely didn't think Yoosung would guess this was where I was so fast, much the less come looking for me. Also really didn't expect anyone else to get hurt. I brought him here and it's my fault that you-” _

 

“Hey.”

 

Saeyoung cut her off by placing a hand over hers, over the one that had the ice on his face since she had dropped the other as soon as she started talking. With as flushed as he felt his face getting, he'd need as much cooling power as he could get. Zifeara looked back at him at the sudden contact and just as he thought, she looked upset again.

 

“Listen to me. Exactly  _ none _ of this was your fault. You came here because you subconsciously thought of physically the safest place you knew you would never be denied access to. He knows how to get into the Underground. Yoosung guessed where you were because after checking the obvious places, he knew I was the RFA member you’re closest to. He does actually use his brain once in awhile. That appears to be the  _ only _ time today.”

 

That at least got a tiny giggle out of her, so he smiled broadly and kept going.

 

“And I don't care that I got hurt. This is a paper cut compared to some of the injuries I've had working for the agency, may God have no mercy on its soul. That and what did I tell you back at the hospital? Huh? When I told you my real name? C’mon, say it~”

 

_ “S-Sae, you're being too nice to-” _

 

“Ah-ah-ah! What did I tell you? Zifeara~ Tell me or I'll make you!”

 

She knew very well these threats of his involved being mercilessly tickled or hugged far too tightly and swung about or some other form of harmless yet annoying physical repercussion. She visibly swallowed.

 

_ “That… that if I ever needed anything, I just had to ask.” _

 

“Bingo! And tonight you asked me to help you via showing up in clear distress. I've told you I'll do anything for you and this counts as anything. Speaking of anything, there's something I'd like you to do for me, okay?”

 

She nodded and either neither of them realized his hand was still over hers or neither of them was in a hurry to move.

 

“Stay with me for a couple of days? There are things I want to do to make sure it's safe for you to go home considering how… unpredictable Yoosung is right now. I'll feel a lot better if I know you're here and protected. It isn't that I think you couldn't demolish Yoosung in a fight, I just don't want you to  _ have _ to. Please?”

 

_ “Okay. Speaking of anything… Can…” _

 

Zifeara was doing that really cute thing again. The one where she got a very determined look in her eye and a barely perceptible dusting of pink on her cheeks because she was embarrassed by whatever it was she was talking about.

 

_ “Can I sleep with you?” _

 

**_Oh_ ** .  _ Oh no _ , okay, this- no. Just- no, well, maybe yes…  _ no _ . Today was  _ not _ the day for this. He felt his face try very hard to match the color of his hair at just the thought of something he only had guilty fantasies about coming to fruition tonight. The second he started to color, Zifeara pulled her hand out from under his, dropping the cloth and scattering ice all over the floor. Her dusting of pink turned into a full-blown smothering of red. 

 

_ “I- you- Saeyoung! Th-that is  _ **_not_ ** _ what I meant! I-I meant exactly what I said! Oh my god, nevermind, I'm asking Saeran!” _

 

She spun on her heel and made for the hallway, hands over her face and making an embarrassed noise. It took his brain a second to finish overheating, but when it did he hurried after her, gently holding her shoulders to stop her from moving towards his twin’s room. 

 

“N-no, I'm sorry! I- I didn't meant to- gah, just come here!”

  
  


That was the best night's sleep Saeyoung had gotten in a while. The only time he woke up had been when Zifeara had been having a nightmare, gripping tightly to his shirt… and balling her fist in his hair. That wasn't how she had fallen asleep, but apparently both of them were cuddlers. It wasn't that her pulling his hair didn't hurt, it was that it happened very abruptly and he kind of… liked it. A little too well. He was very thankful she wasn't awake to hear the noise he'd made before soothing her back into a restful sleep. He wasn't happy for  _ why _ he had experience with this, but was ridiculously glad he was practiced in it. 

Now as he woke up, Saeyoung yawned and moved his arm lazily over the bed. He was suddenly very awake as he didn't feel anything. He sat up on his arms since he'd been sleeping on his stomach, scanning his unfocused vision over the entirety of his bed and finding it empty as he feared. He bolted off the mattress, still not remembering to grab his glasses and flung himself out the door to his room, moving so fast he almost tripped on nothing. He heard noise coming from the kitchen and prayed it wasn't just Saeran. With his current lack of vision and current burst of speed, he ran right into the wall separating the kitchen from the hallway with a resounding thud. While he sat on the floor rubbing his throbbing forehead, he heard footsteps quickly approaching him.

 

_ “Saeyoung? What did you do, are you okay?” _

 

Oh thank God. He glanced up at what was certainly the form of his sable sweetheart, holding what had to be either a spoon or a spatula but was too blurred to tell. 

 

“Mmmmph… Ow. You weren't in bed and I got worried…”

 

She laughed, loudly and unreservedly.

 

_ “Did-did you just  _ **_run into the wall_ ** _ , hahahahaha?” _

 

He made a noise of embarrassment, only to notice she seemed to not be looking at him anymore. Once again he heard the sound of footsteps, but now they were behind him. Saeyoung tilted his head back to look up at his brother who was leaning over him, returning his gaze.

 

_ “Dipshit.” _

 

Saeran moved past the both of them into the kitchen while Zifeara helped him up, telling him to sit down at the table as she was making breakfast. She didn't miss the way his brother watched her curiously as she made pancakes, which she then offered to teach him; something his twin reluctantly agreed to at first but was quickly getting into. Saeran liked to cook and it appeared she was having fun teaching him. To be fair, they almost got a pancake stuck to the ceiling when Saeran flipped it way too high, but that seemed to be Zifeara's favorite part. He knew because she laughed so hard she snorted.

Saeyoung was glad she was too busy with his brother to notice the way he was lovingly watching his two favorite people spend time together. He was pretty sure he sighed a few times at how expressive she was or how gentle and patient she was with Saeran, reminding him why the younger Choi had taken such a decisive liking to her during his recovery. As she praised his twin for getting the hang of pouring the batter in an even amount, Saeyoung found himself desperately wishing every morning could be like this; his brother finally happy, himself blissfully waiting to be fed, and the most wonderful, beautiful woman he'd ever known smiling back at him when she caught him staring. Wait…

 

***

 

Everything went as planned. Every member of the RFA showed up to the emergency meeting that no one told Yoosung they were having in Jumin’s conference room. They were skeptical the blonde was capable of what Saeyoung was saying he did, but that disappeared when Zifeara showed them her wrist. It looked worse now that it had been given a full day to set in, but was still very distinctly in the shape of a human hand. One that you could probably still definitively match to the gamer’s own. 

When Yoosung was alerted to the fact that there was talking that needed to be done, he was understandably reluctant to come at first. When Zifeara asked him to come, he did. While they waited, Saeyoung briefed everyone on the numerous plans he had to keep Zifeara safe, each one different depending on Yoosung’s reaction and state of mind. Some far more drastic than others.

No one missed the massive welt on Yoosung’s face when he stepped into the room or the bags under his eyes as though he hadn't slept at all. No one could mistake the dullness of his usually bright eyes or the listless way he carried himself. Saeyoung couldn't even feel bad at the time that his first thought was ‘Good.’ The blonde just sat, listening to everything that was said to him and giving minute responses when prompted. They could all tell he felt horrible, but no one was sure if it was because of what had happened to him or because of what he had done. 

 

_ “Jumin, can we use this room for a little bit longer? I think everyone's pretty much done and it's my turn.” _

 

Saeyoung absolutely did not want to leave Zifeara alone with Yoosung for so much as half a second, but Jumin told her she of course could and for as long as she needed to, ushering the rest of the RFA out. As the doors closed, the redhead saw her stand over the blonde and for the first time that day, a spark of life passed through his eyes as he looked up at her. Jaehee moved them all away from the room to give the two their privacy, though no one was fond of the idea. Zen’s bitter threats to tear Yoosung in half if ever laid a finger on the RFA’s most beloved member again seemed to be more or less a shared sentiment. They eventually conceded and all they could do now was wait.

  
  


“Yoosung, I'm sorry, but you knew this wouldn't fly our first month of dating. I told you what happened with Korain and I told you I wouldn't take that shit from you either!”

 

_ “But I didn't hit you! You hit  _ **_me_ ** _. I- I just didn't want you to go…” _

 

“That isn't the point- look at my arm! I have a bruise that  _ you _ caused. I had a panic attack. I could have crashed my car driving like that. You  _ scared _ me, Yoosung, and you know there is very little I'm scared of.”

 

He was starting to cry. He stood up and very slowly took a step toward her, hands palm up.

 

_ “I-I’m sorry. I'm so sorry, Zifeara. I d-don't know what happened! I just- just lost it for a s-second and I- I'm sorry! Please, just let me make this up to you! I can- can't lose you, I- I'll do literally  _ **_anything_ ** _ , just take me back!” _

 

He was starting to make her cry. She knew it was far too late for that. The damage was done and it was done over time; last night was just the final twist of the knife. Despite herself, she wanted so badly to say yes, to just hug him and take him home and have him tell her they were okay. She shook her head.

 

“I can't, Yoosung. I don't trust you anymore. That was one of only  _ two _ things I said I would automatically leave you for and I  _ meant it _ . Even if the last couple of months hadn't been awful for me too… the second you hurt me, it would have been over. You  _ knew _ that. Now I'm not going to promise we can still be friends and pretend like I'm okay. I'm … I’m really not. I'm going to tell you we’ll see what happens, but I can promise you this: we will never be a couple again. I'm sorry, but I- I can't do that to m-myself.”

 

And with that she left the room. And was set upon by five worried pairs of eyes. 

 

***

 

Zifeara cried the entire ride back to the bunker. He wouldn't let her go home for not only safety reasons, but also heavily because he couldn't let her do this alone. Saeyoung carried her back into the house and set her on the couch, exchanging a distressed look with his twin. They knew how to deal with panic. This wasn't panic. He was the first to try and figure out what to do.

 

“Zifeara? Uhm, do you, uh, want us to get you anything? Want me to make you a blanket fort?”

 

She shook her head through broken sobs.

 

“Um, do you want to be alone? I could put you in my room to give you some space…?”

 

She again indicated no, this time a little more forcefully, crying a little harder if that was even possible.

 

“Mmm, I could just straight up go get you a puppy. It's impossible to be sad with a puppy around!”

 

Now he was trying his usual jokes but Saeran shot him a  _ look _ , knowing full well if she said yes they'd end up with a dog. Zifeara choked out what was trying to be a laugh, but was undeterred, clearly just intent on being upset. 

 

_ “If you stop crying… I'll share my ice cream with you? I have a chocolate one…” _

 

Hell, even Saeran was trying at this point. The two of them were so hopelessly lost.

 

“Ugh, sweetie please, I'm out of ideas. Give us  _ any _ indication of what you want right now? We don't quite… okay, we have no idea how to deal with you like this. We hate to see you so sad...”

 

She rose from the couch on unsteady legs and wobbled towards them. He almost wanted to be upset that she clung to Saeran as opposed to him, but if it would get her to calm down he didn't really care. His twin gave a sound of confusion as to why this had to be him, but it was clear he was receiving no explanation and Saeyoung jerked his head towards the hallway. The other Choi sighed, returning their girl’s desperate embrace and making her walk backwards towards his room. She had done this countless times for him and he could only mimic her actions. 

  
  


Zifeara let Saeran move her backwards through the house, pausing to open and shut his door before gently pushing her down to sit on his bed. He quickly replaced himself in her arms, scooting both of them backwards so he could rest against the headboard while she poured out all of her sadness onto him. He wasn't entirely unfamiliar with this; he had done the exact same thing to her before and she still didn't know why he was crying about half the time. She could sense his initial discomfort, but soon he settled into a rhythm of stroking her head and rubbing small circles into her back, quietly waiting for her to be done. He was already doing better than the last time he'd really tried to get her to stop crying.

Zifeara wasn't counting the minutes she spent pressed tightly to the younger twin, but it was long enough that she was hoarse and her head hurt from how much she had put her body through. Long enough that Saeran had stopped petting her because his hands were tired from the constant motions. Now he just sat, arms wrapped around her as comfortably as he could manage while leaning his head on hers. She really appreciated that he'd managed to handle this so well.

She sniffled, ready to be done and shifted her weight, indicating she'd like Saeran to move. When she met his eyes, he still looked worried, but not so much so that he didn't speak. His voice was hushed as if one noise that was too loud would set her off again. Maybe for him they did.

 

_ “Are… are you okay now?” _

 

She wiped her eyes, noticing he hadn't let go of her.

 

“Yeah… I'll be okay, Saeran. Thanks for letting me do that, it must have been kinda weird for you.”

 

Now he did let go. He must have been genuinely worried she wasn't really done yet. In a way that was the sweetest thing he'd ever done for her. Well, aside from that time on her couch when she'd gotten back from Mint Eye… She really didn't give him enough credit for how caring he could be, did she?

 

_ “It’s okay. Can uh, can I ask… why you chose me and not Saeyoung for this…?” _

 

Zifeara laughed slightly, the air passing through her raw throat making her cough a little.

 

“I knew you'd be quiet and just let it happen. Saeyoung would have tried to talk to me the whole time and frankly I didn't want to snap at him to shut the Hell up and let me be sad.”

 

Saeran’s eyes crinkled at the edges slightly before he couldn't contain a laugh of his own. She loved this time that she spent alone with him; he never talked this much or felt comfortable around even the RFA to show much real emotion this way. He had a very unique personality that almost never rose to the surface if any more than her or Saeyoung was around. 

 

_ “That's a fair point. I guess… it's kinda the same as when I call you sometimes and ask you to say whatever just to hear you… but the opposite, huh?” _

 

She nodded and genuinely smiled. 

 

“Don't tell him I said any of that though, yeah? I feel like it'd upset him a little. Let's go eat that ice cream and watch a movie or something with your brother. I think I'm ready to start being okay again.”

 

***

 

“I said give them back!”

 

They were in a Mexican standoff. Zifeara had his glasses and had placed the couch between them, preventing him from doing much to get them back besides shout at her and attempt to read as much of her movements as he could still see to try and catch her. Now that she had no boyfriend to devote her attention to, Zifeara had been spending a good amount of her time in the bunker, either drawing quietly around Saeran or doing as she had been a moment ago and playing games with Saeyoung. He may have been ever so slightly cheating in the racing game they had been competing in and she'd caught on, stealing his glasses to even the playing field. He had been far enough on to still win, so now she was holding his vision hostage as punishment.

 

_ “And I said you're a cheating bastard and deserve to do a race blind for it. Fight me, scrublord!” _

 

Right then. Saeyoung vaulted the couch, eliciting a surprised squeak from his friend at the swift action, making her bolt for the hallway. It wasn't that Zifeara couldn't take him, it was simply that she knew he was even more petty and vindictive than she was. If he caught her, there would be Hell to pay and the gatekeeper only accepted the air being forcefully tickled from your lungs as penance. 

The only problem was, she was very good at hiding in their house and when you couldn't see much further than your own nose, she was damn near impossible to track down. She was faster than he was, and not only had he slid slightly when he hit the ground causing him to cling to the couch lest he fall, but he had lost sight of her as soon as she turned the corner. Saeran's room was off limits as it was determined to be unfair, but all other doors down here were open, meaning Zifeara could be anywhere. Saeyoung knew there was very little point in trying to listen for where she was; that brat never made any noise if she was trying to hide and it would only waste time. 

He started looking in his file room since it had the most space and crevices to squeeze into, but found it empty, moving on to the second bathroom just in case she'd ducked in there for some reason. He knew for sure she’d come down this hallway, so that only left the twin’s bedrooms. She wouldn't be cheating  _ that _ hard and slipped into Saeran’s room, would she? She couldn't have, he would have seen or at least heard the door shut with as close on her tail as he had been. That means she had put herself right in the lion’s den. His room.

Saeyoung pushed the door further open softly, trying not to let it creak and looked around for anything even slightly out of place. There was of course nothing amiss. He shut the door behind him to help prevent escape. The only place she could really be in here was either in his closet or in his bathroom, so he started with the walk in. He carefully moved clothes this way and that, trying to determine the exact second he encountered a piece of person, intent on striking quickly to take back what was his. Disappointed to find the closet free of intruders, he moved into the bathroom. She must have been in a cliché mood and hid in his shower. The redhead was about to pull the curtain back when he heard a minute sound behind him. Turning and sprinting from the bathroom, he barreled into his fugitive just before she managed to reach the door, effectively pinning her to it.

 

“Alright, where were you and how did you hide there so fast?”

 

Even though she was trapped, Zifeara was still going to play coy, nervous expression betraying her confident facade. 

 

_ “I thought you were a secret agent once upon a time, shouldn't you know we never reveal our secrets?” _

 

She was absolutely in for it now; the woman was playing with fire and she knew it. If she wanted to play that badly, who was he to deny her? 

 

“Oho, so what you're saying is that an interrogation is in order? We have ways to make your kind talk around here…”

 

_ “No, Saeyoung I-” _

 

It was too little too late. She had chosen her fate. He brought his hands quickly to her sides, experienced fingers pressing just the right spots on all of her ribs as though they were the keys of his keyboard and he had a  _ job _ to do. Zifeara's laugh had always been one of his favorite sounds and he took every chance possible to hear it, especially since she had needed to laugh more in the last three months than ever before. After her first two weeks of being newly single, she refused to express sadness over the matter anymore, but he saw it in her eyes still. He needed to help heal her and this was his favorite method of doing so. 

Saeyoung could feel Zifeara squirming to free herself, but he wasn't having it; she still had a deathgrip on his glasses and he really wanted to know how she had hidden from him in here. He quickly shifted his hands, wrapping her in a bear hug and pinning her arms to her sides, lifting his friend off the floor.

 

“You better tell me what I want to know, lest you suffer the wrath of God Seven! Repent, mortal!”

 

_ “Never! What is a god to a demon? Especially a blind god of salted spuds and sugared water! What are you gonna do, crush me?” _

 

She realized her mistake as he grinned to his ears and took two steps backwards towards his bed.

 

“Well, if you insist.”

 

He quickly turned and ran the last few steps till his knees hit the edge of his mattress, allowing himself to fall forward, directly onto his captive. Saeyoung knew he hadn't done it too hard, but all the air rushed from Zifeara’s lungs in a solid whoosh, the weight on her chest not allowing her to take in as much as she needed. 

 

_ “Sae-young you’re- a little-” _

 

“Fabulous? Genius? Heavy~?”

 

_ “Shit.” _

 

He laughed, slowly loosening his hold just a bit, only enough to support most of his weight on his elbows.

 

“Tell me where you were hiding or I'll lay back down.”

 

_ “I swear I will find a way to knee you in the balls if you-” _

 

Lay back down he did, trying to contain himself at the hilarious amount of struggling Zifeara was doing to attempt to free herself. Saeyoung had her pinned though and there was no escape. She knew it, but she was too proud to stop fighting. He would have to up the stakes.

 

“I'll get up one more time, but if you don't tell me then, I'll have to use…  _ plan X _ ~”

 

He watched her violet eyes widen, only seeing her from the corner of his vision since he'd laid his head next to hers on the bed, awaiting her decision. Plan X was his favorite plan since Zifeara  _ hated  _ it so much; he had learned by some happy accident that she detested the feeling of the oh-so-childish raspberry being blown anywhere on her skin, meaning for him it was the end all be all to anything he wanted to win with her. He'd managed to use it against her twice, both times taking a little too much sadistic delight in how she had squealed at him to stop. Yeah, she’d hit him for it both times, but God was it worth it… 

Saeyoung expertly ran his hands around between them, quick as a flash and finding hers, grabbing her wrists and pulling them above her head. There was fear in her eyes, but she wasn't talking, just wriggling to try to escape. He still had Zifeara’s legs pinned under the rest of him. She wasn't going anywhere. 

 

“Last. Chance.”

 

Oh she was mad. That icy glare could freeze over a volcano, but he'd come too far to back out now. He needed to know how she kept hiding from him in plain sight and Hell, she even still had his glasses. The last two times he'd executed Plan X, it had been into her neck, but this was a new level of teaching her what for. She was keeping a  _ secret  _ and by God, he was going to get it out of her. 

The hacker ducked his head down, receiving a very confused look from his captive till she realized too late what he was doing. Saeyoung took the hem of her shirt between his teeth, pulling it up only far enough to expose her stomach. Somewhere deep down, he knew this was going way too far but the little voice in his mind that should have told him ‘no’ wasn't talking very loudly. 

 

_ “Oh god, Saeyoung, don't you even-!” _

 

He was inches from the soft skin of her abdomen, mischievous grin wide and golden eyes locked to hers. He took a deep breath in.

 

_ “No, please, I-” _

 

He pressed down and blew. Hard. The shriek that came from Zifeara’s mouth was well worth all the Hell he was about to get for doing this; it was equal parts laughter as it was anguish. It made him really glad that Saeran was at his therapy appointment right now or his twin would probably have come sprinting in here to kick his ass. She was laughing so hard tears began to form in her eyes, so the redhead repeated his actions another two times, just to be sure. Bringing himself back up, Saeyoung loomed over the tortured girl, face close and teasing snarl gracing his features.

 

“So? Had enough?”

 

_ “Ahahahahaha, f-fuck, Sae! I wa-was under your bed!” _

 

“There's that much room under my bed?”

 

_ “Ahhh, yeah. That's where I've hidden the last three times actually, hahaha.” _

 

As much as he was proud of himself for getting Zifeara to divulge the great secret to her disappearances, Saeyoung very quickly regretted being so persistent about it. That little voice that so often told him ‘no’ was now saying ‘yes’; ‘yes’ to everything about the gorgeous girl he had pinned to his bed with his whole body [whose lips were barely a breath from his](https://youtu.be/sAeox9hv5Kk). 

  
  


Zifeara laughed, feeling the tears she nearly shed in ticklish agony receding back to where they belonged. She loved spending time here with this big dork; he was never afraid to be physically affectionate with her and though logic said that was bad, she somewhat felt she had been starved for contact ever since… well. Ever since Yoosung decided she wasn't really his priority anymore. Now, though, this was different. Somehow it had taken her this long to realize exactly where this little escapade had put her.

Saeyoung had her hands above her head, warm body flush against hers, stunning eyes peering… curiously down at her. The molten flush that seared across his lightly freckled cheeks spoke volumes, but he didn't move; didn't jump away from her as she would expect him to in such a position. Some of that heat must have been dripping down into her face, but Zifeara also couldn't seem to snap out of whatever trance held them both. She wasn't sure when he had let her wrists go and brought his hands down on either side of her, but she did become aware that she could move him off her and get up. Really she could. 

The glasses fell from her hand, completely forgotten as she ran one of her now free hands into Saeyoung’s hair, pulling him down to meet her lips. At first Zifeara was scared she’d read this wrong; he stiffened, a small shudder moving along his back, but that quickly worked its way out. The redhead dissolved, melting against her and returning her advance, simple kiss soon turning to heated make out. Both hands now found their way into his hair and his tongue met hers, undecidedly going in between reverently caressing and hungrily devouring. 

It wasn't until she ran one of those hands down his back that Saeyoung seemed to recall he wasn't stuck in one place for forever, beginning to kiss and nip at her neck. Zifeara pushed under the hem of his t-shirt, feeling up the toned muscle of his midriff before letting out a soft gasp to the sensation of him very deliberately sucking a mark into her skin. Well, too late to decide this was maybe not the smartest idea; she had always thought of the redhead as ‘the hot friend’ and now she could  _ have _ that hot friend. Shit, even if this was just a spur of the moment thing for him, she was more than willing to deal with the consequences later. He was geeky and ridiculous and all the things she hadn't realized was her type all along till the blonde had come along. The only difference was that Saeyoung was a completely different color on the attractive spectrum. Red was far more intense than yellow.

Now using both hands to pull at the shirt, Zifeara urged him to take it off and Saeyoung obliged. Now that it was off, she couldn't help running her hands over the obvious muscles of his torso. She got caught on the scar across his chest, delicately tracing it and trying not to think too hard about how he'd gotten the mark. It had been mostly her fault; if she had been more vigilant and cautious, she wouldn't have let him- He must have noticed her train of thought, catching her hand and bringing her fingers to his lips to softly kiss each of them. Once she smiled back up at him, Saeyoung ducked back down, not wasting a second before returning to what he had been doing before she got sidetracked; licking a stripe up her neck all the way to her earlobe, lightly nibbling it as his hands made their way to her own shirt. The feel of his fingers across her skin made her shiver, but man did she miss that feeling. The garment was tossed somewhere the instant it was properly off and their lips reconnected in mutual need. 

With how this was playing out, Zifeara was starting to wonder exactly how long ago bedding the RFA’s most entertaining member became a viable option, but the low growl in her ear made higher brain function shutdown. He had brought a hand to her breast, firmly kneading the flesh beneath her bra, causing her hips to involuntarily buck, grinding against his fast growing erection. He continued running his tongue over her, sporadically grazing his teeth along sensitive spots or lightly sucking. For as enthusiastic as he seemed to be, Saeyoung was being fairly gentle; the one mark apparently enough to sate him for now. Then again, sweet as he was, he probably was simply being considerate. 

The same couldn't be said for her. She moved one of her legs up a bit, brushing her thigh against his crotch. Zifeara almost laughed at the shudder that rippled through his torso, but the groan he let out made her pause. What were the odds that Saeyoung was just as vocal as Yoosung was? Not to mention the fact that there were only two kinds of people who kissed like had a few moments ago.

 

“Sae, have you… have you ever done this before?”

 

His head was still next to hers, just out of her sight but she could feel him swallow. His voice was hushed.

 

_ “No...” _

 

That made sense considering his former occupation, Zifeara just hadn’t thought about it. He must have taken her thinking to be reluctance to continue. Saeyoung raised himself, keeping close but far enough apart to make eye contact.

 

_ “But I really,  _ **_really_ ** _ want to. I… I have a pretty good idea of what I’m supposed to do, I just don’t uh, don’t have any real practice… I can do this, I promise!” _

 

Now she did giggle a little at how desperate he sounded to continue what they had started. In a way, it was kinda cute. She ran that hand she still had in his hair around to his face. 

 

“Easy, I’m not saying you can’t. That just changes a couple of things… like consideration for getting you used to it. Your first time is never what you think it’ll be.”

 

Saeyoung gave a short laugh.  _ “If you’ll let me… If it’s with you, then it already isn’t what I expected.” _

 

“Hahahaha, I suppose not. Just answer me two things, okay?”

 

He nodded and she continued.

 

“How… What kind of porn do you watch?”

 

His face was turning the color of his hair again. Granted, to him it probably seemed like a strange question, but it would help her get a feel for what he wanted. Plus with  _ his _ lifestyle and personality, she was willing to bet money on him having not only an impressive stash of viewing materials but probably a more varied collection of toys than she did. He'd been alone a long time and didn't seem shy about trying things for the Hell of it.

 

_ “I, uhm… Well, sort of… rougher stuff, I guess. I l-like… B… BDSM. I-I can be softer, though, if- if that’s what you want!” _

 

She raised an eyebrow and he almost stammered out an apology, but she stopped him from talking by kissing him again. 

 

“Relax, genius, I’m not judging you. Besides, you’ve  _ seen _ what I’ve done to Yoosung before. I don’t exactly take it easy, either. I just wanted to get an idea of what you might want to do. Now the other question. How long has  _ this _ been a thing?”

 

Now his cheeks out-colored his hair and he was even starting to blush down his neck. 

 

_ “Uh-uhm… Ever since… you started coming around to help with Saeran? I never would have done anything, of course, you were with Yoosung, but… It’s been… a while.” _

 

That was surprising. It’d been damn near a year. And she hadn’t a clue. She had asked out of curiosity, but really wasn’t prepared for the answer she got. Now that she had it though, she had to resist the temptation to tease him about it. The way he was looking at her like he’d just ruined his chances of being with her was murder. 

 

“Hmm. Good to know. Guess you’ll be pretty easy to take care of, then~”

 

_ “Huh? Wha- mmf!” _

 

She grabbed his face, pulling him back down to press her lips to his and push her tongue back into his mouth. Saeyoung gave a hum of distracted pleasure, forgetting any of the trepidation he had. Right now only one thing mattered. She felt one of his hands snake its way behind her back and deftly undo the clasp of her bra, a skill she didn’t think he had any right to be so proficient at. As she worked it off her shoulders and flung it somewhere, that same hand of his ran over her breast again, this time eliciting a new shiver down his spine. 

Zifeara didn’t let him enjoy it for long. She flipped him over, rotating her hips to brush them over the impressively sizable tent in his jeans. She used the moan pouring from his mouth as a chance to remove hers. 

 

“I want these pants gone in the next five seconds, Saeyoung.”

 

He was stunned for a split second at the intensely  _ heated _ look she was giving him, but snapped out of it pretty quickly.

 

“One.”

 

She sat up a little so that he could put his trembling fingers to work undoing the button and sliding down the zipper of his pants.

 

“Two.”

 

He shoved the pants as far down as he could without disturbing her position on him, but she had to back up for him to pull his legs up to get them any further off than his thighs.

 

“Three.”

 

He grabbed the ends of both the legs and pulled frantically, ripping them off him and throwing them away from the bed like they had just burned him. She leaned back down, making sure to drag herself across his body so that he felt every last inch of her exposed skin against his own, delighting in the way his breath hitched. 

 

“Wow, you’ve got speed. Let’s see if you have stamina.”

 

He swallowed hard, running both his hands from her sides down to the hem of her own pants. He’d have to learn sooner or later that she loved to make her men wait for what they wanted. Zifeara shifted slightly, ducking her head to lick at Saeyoung’s neck just under his jaw. The soft exhale he gave only turned her on more. As she pressed her torso further up, something cold against her chest caught her attention. She had forgotten he was Catholic. 

 

“You know, this is a pretty big sin you’re about to commit to, Choi. Premarital sex is a giant no.”

 

She backed up just enough so that she could watch Saeyoung grab the metal cross around his neck and remove it, throwing it even further than he’d thrown his jeans. She stared wide eyed at his flushed face.

 

_ “Then I guess I’m going to Hell. Looking forward to the ride there, though.” _

 

Zifeara could only laugh, deep and betraying of the lust she felt through every inch of her body. 

 

“You and me both, babe.”

 

She came back down to once again run her mouth over his neck, smirking at the way he molded his hips to hers. He was getting very impatient. Good. It didn’t take long for his hands to work their way in between them so that he could undo her pants for her and help her slide them off. She was sort of glad she’d grabbed some of her cute, excessively lacy underwear by accident today. He ran his fingers over the delicate material, freezing when she moved lower and teased her tongue over one of his nipples. She was about to find out if he really wanted things as rough as he thought he did. 

Before he could get his brain to work again, she nipped at the soft skin of his chest, making him jump off the mattress slightly. His sharp intake of breath was no indication of if he liked it or not, but the throaty groan that followed was. Oh yeah, Zifeara was going to enjoy this. She bit down harder, feeling his hands begin to work again. One ran it’s way up to her hair and fisted in it, the other slid down into her underwear and gripped her ass, giving him a firm hold on her body when he bucked upwards again. 

 

_ “Ooooh fuck, do that again.” _

 

She was only too happy to oblige, moving increasingly further down till she could leave marks on his abs. He had to be painfully hard at this point, so Zifeara figured she should probably fix that for him. Saeyoung lifted his hips so she could remove his boxers, yet again surprised once she got them off. This was going to be challenge. He was bigger than she was accustomed to; he had Yoosung beat by at least an inch. 

Saeyoung started squirming, realizing what she was staring at. Before he could say a word, Zifeara licked her lips and it shut him  _ right _ up. 

 

“Don’t move.”

 

She wrapped a hand around his length pumping only once before taking his tip into her mouth and swirling her tongue around it. He tasted excessively salty and she had a good idea as to why. She needed to cook for this boy more often. 

 

_ “Ah! Oh,  _ _ nakah-!” _

 

Zifeara wasn’t a hundred percent sure which of his languages that was, but she had a good idea of which  _ word _ it might be. She smiled despite her situation. Virgins were the  _ best _ . She opened wide and took almost all of him in at once, moving her tongue around his shaft to get him properly slicked up before trying to put him all the way down her throat. She watched in glee as he fisted his hands in the sheets so hard his knuckles went white. The whine that escaped him was something to live for. 

Moving up and down slowly she eased the rest of him in, his head hitting well beyond the back of her throat. God, this was going to feel  _ fantastic _ . Trying to focus more on how Saeyoung looked like he was going to die of euphoria in the next minute or so than the undeniable urge to gag, Zifeara was taking it slow. He was mumbling low enough that she couldn’t hear what he was saying, but his face was ridiculously expressive, so it probably didn’t matter. 

Finally working up to a sustainable rhythm, she started moving her tongue again, tracing the vein on the underside of his cock. The impossibly loud moan tipping from his mouth might have been the new best thing she’d ever heard. She really hadn’t thought Saeyoung could sound that sexy, but damn if she didn’t want to make him do that a lot more. She hummed around him and swallowed, using the muscle in her throat to work him in ways her hands couldn’t. There was going to be a permanent dent in his mattress from his nails if she kept that up. 

 

_ “Ah, ah, Zif-Zifeara-! Ah- ya Allah, la tatawaqaf {oh God, don’t stop}…” _

 

She tried not to laugh, amused at being on the other end of hearing a foreign language in bed for once. Swallowing again, she delighted in the twitch of his cock, signaling the step closer he'd taken to cumming. Zifeara knew she'd have to do this a bit differently than she normally did; she'd likely choke if she let him spill while he was too far in. She only hoped that he'd tell her he was close in a language she did know. She didn't have to continue her current motions for very long to find out.

 

_ “Mmf, ooooh- I- I’m-!” _

 

Bingo. Zifeara sucked hard as she pulled her mouth away, far enough to leave only a little more than the tip in. She was pretty sure Saeyoung uttered words in more than  _ one _ language as he filled her mouth with his warm cum, but she was a little too busy to try to place any of them. She had been right; this definitely would have killed her if she hadn't prepared for it. Swallowing down everything she was given, Zifeara found herself impatient. It had been too long since she’d had someone to do and dealing with things herself was nowhere near the same considering the level of activity she’d become accustomed to. She needed to get what she wanted and now.

She let Saeyoung fall from her mouth, moving herself up his chest to level with his face. His eyes hadn’t opened yet and he was panting, running a hand through his hair. When he finally did look at her, the usual bright yellow of his irises shimmered a dark gold. Warming him up like this this had made him throw any of his inexperienced nervousness out the window. He was ready to  _ go _ . 

Before she had a chance to ask him if he’d be okay, the redhead slid a hand into her hair, bringing their mouths together and quickly flipping them over. His tongue thrust into her mouth, free hand sliding down her body to get to her still untouched underwear to get them off. She had a feeling he was about to try to repay the favor, but she wasn’t having that right now. He’d last longer for her if they skipped that. Sure enough, he tried to move downwards but Zifeara used both hands to keep his face in place, now tangling her tongue with his. He gave a soft moan, running his fingers up the inside of her thigh. 

And finally, the first true display of his inexperience showed itself. Saeyoung grabbed his cock, stroking only once before trying to line himself up for entrance. 

 

“Oh honey, no, you’re nowhere near hard enough for that yet.”

 

Zifeara placed her hand over his, making him pump in earnest and groan into her neck.

 

“I appreciate your enthusiasm and trust me, I want all of that in me, but you just came and will never make it work soft. Let me fix that for you~”

 

She moved her mouth to bite at his shoulder, leaving lasting but easily hidden marks on both sides and across his collar bone. By the time she bit down hard enough to leave an imprint of her teeth, he was ready. She let go of his hand and brought him back down into a harsh kiss, grunting as he failed to ease himself in. Bringing her legs around his back, she dug her heels into his ass, preventing him from moving and refusing to release his mouth. She didn’t feel like explaining why this was necessary right now, but she desperately needed a second to accommodate his size. Zifeara hadn’t played with anything that big in a while. 

It didn’t take long before she dropped her legs and rolled her hips, feeling the moan reverberate in Saeyoung’s lungs as he took the hint to start moving. At first it was extremely slow and stiff; he was completely unsure of how to position himself so that it felt good for her, but Zifeara reached down and moved his hips a little, putting him where he needed to be. As soon as she moved those hands further back and squeezed his ass, he seemed to pick things up pretty quickly.

  
  


Forget his necklace, forget mass, forget confessional, he no longer needed any of that anymore… Not that he was a very good Catholic to begin with. Saeyoung was already in heaven right here and this was all he needed. None of those other things had never made him feel like his life couldn’t pick up anymore than this one singular moment had. Zifeara was his new religion and he would do  _ anything _ to keep this woman in his life like this. This was only half due to the fact he was pretty sure his soul had left his body entirely when he felt her roll her hips forward into his. 

He started rocking slowly, unsure if he was doing this wrong again, still not allowed to remove his lips from hers. He couldn't say he minded too terribly much. Zifeara grabbed his hips and moved him, a thrill shooting up his spine at the feeling of being used for what she wanted, but it was rapidly replaced with a burning heat as she dug her nails into his rear. Saeyoung could feel that one touch set something in motion that he wasn’t in control of anymore. 

He snapped his hips forward, a fire he was slowly becoming addicted to seeping into his chest from his overheating mind at the sharp sensation of Zifeara biting his lip. He kept thrusting hard, unable to find a good reason to slow back down since he couldn’t hear his own thoughts over the sounds she was making. Once he released her mouth to pant, it latched onto his neck, urging him to continue his actions by providing a delicious sting courtesy of teeth. He had never imagined that all of this was what he'd been missing out on all these years. Every touch, every gasp and whimper, every bite, every prick of Zifeara’s nails- everything about this was doing him in. 

 

_ “Ha, f-fuck, Saeyoung-!” _

 

Oh my  _ God _ , was that really what his name sounded like? He groaned as he felt a tightening around his cock, adding a new level of friction he wasn't sure he could handle. Zifeara’s mouth was back at his neck and coupled with the new thing happening further down, it tipped him over the edge. Somewhere on the precipice of rational thought again, he realized with a hint of shame that he probably should have lasted longer than that. Then again, how long had it been since he started paving the road of his own damnation?

As soon as the lusty haze fully dissipated, Saeyoung became brutally aware of where he actually was now. He wasn't even on the bed anymore; he was standing next to it holding on to one of Zifeara’s legs with his other hand next to her head. Now that he was conscious, he honestly wasn't sure  _ how _ he had gotten into the position they were in… or how he had pulled it off. Was it bad he didn't remember half of losing his own virginity? Probably. He could feel his face flush as he finally registered the unholy beauty of the sinful angel still on the bed underneath him. She'd regained her breath. 

 

_ “Alright, what the legitimate fuck? How did you manage to do that?” _

 

“Uh, d-do what, exactly?”

 

Had he done something wrong? Oh shit, was she hurt? Did he-

 

_ “Manage to pick this up  _ **_so quickly_ ** _? That was stupidly good for never having done this and I'm low-key pissed about it.” _

 

At first all he could do was stare. Then he started to laugh, soft chuckle slowly becoming a full on so-loud-can’t-move kinda laugh. It caused him to inadvertently pull out, distracted from what a mess everything was. He couldn't help but lean down to press his nose to hers while he settled down.

 

“So does this mean you’d do me the honor of letting me do that again? Maybe after I've taken you out to dinner and a movie next time?”

 

_ “Saeyoung Choi, are you asking me out on a date literally  _ **_minutes_ ** _ after fucking me hard enough that there's blood on your shoulder?” _

 

While his face reddened at her phrasing, he looked at both his shoulders, actually unaware of which side said bite was even on. Finding it on his left, he touched his fingers to the mark, coming away with perfectly shaped spots of red. He really had to have been lost to the world for a while to not feel  _ that _ . 

 

“Is that a no…?”

 

Zifeara giggled, pulling him into another kiss.

 

_ “I would love to. Can we get cleaned up now, though? As much as I love being covered in you, it has a limit.” _

 

Oh God, this was something he was not prepared for; with all the teasing she always dished out, now teasing him in a sexual way was on the table. Stuttering over himself, the redhead pulled her up and led her into the attached bathroom, helping clean up the utter disaster zone they both were. They put clothes back on and he gazed at the clock as they entered the living room. He'd have to go find his jacket; it was about half an hour till his brother was due home and he'd have to work harder hide a few of the numerous new marks all over himself. He would need to ease Saeran into the fact that Zifeara had chosen which twin that was completely head over heels for her she preferred. For as much flack as Saeran had initially given him for his crush… it was now really disadvantageous he had also come down with a case of the feelings. 

The sound of the door to the bunker opening nearly made Saeyoung’s heart ice over. Saeran was early. He had no clue where he'd left his jacket and he was rooted to the spot. Oh no. Zifeara was oblivious to his predicament. She called out to his brother as she moved to go greet him in the entryway.

 

_ “Saeran, you're back! How was your jam sesh?” _

 

She liked to refer to his musical therapist by any word other than therapist since it sounded less like Saeran had a problem and more like he went somewhere for fun. It was really considerate of her, honestly. Saeyoung no longer had time to run for some kind of cover. Saeran came all the way into the house and he had just about the last thing imaginable in his hands, which he then held out in front of him for Zifeara to see.

 

_ “It was good. Uhm, Zifeara I need to- to tell you some-” _

 

She stared from the flowers he was gripping to his wide eyes as he found the first of a few love bites across her skin. They were almost hidden by her shirt, but not quite hidden enough to keep from one of two men who noticed every little thing about this girl. His hands started to shake. The storm was rolling in. 

 

Zifeara must have felt it because she softly laid her hands over his, coaxing him to let go of what he was holding so he didn't throw it.  _ “Saeran, come all the way in and hand me that. These are really pretty, hun, how did you know tiger lilies were my favorite?” _

 

At least before the angry tears fell from his eyes he did let go of the flowers.  _ “Because you drew them with the wolf I asked you for. I thought I knew a lot about you, but I  _ **_guess not_ ** _.” _

 

_ “What's wrong, Saeran? Why are you upset right now?” _ Her voice was steady, though her tone had a lit of confusion. 

 

Oh God, no. Zifeara hadn't known he was into her, so she  _ definitely _ had no clue about his brother. Saeyoung finally moved forward, unwilling to let her take the brunt of Saeran’s anger. She didn't deserve this, especially since realistically he was the one who’d put her in this position. He hadn't expected his twin to push past her, coming for him instead. For the second time in only a few months, someone punched him in the face. His agent skills were getting too rusty. 

 

Saeran was full on Unknown, screaming at him with that all too familiar spark of madness in his eyes.  _ “When were you going to  _ **_tell me_ ** _?! Were you just going to keep this from me till you couldn't anymore? I knew you wanted her too Saeyoung, but  _ **_Christ_ ** _ , were you just going to keep  _ **_fucking her till I noticed_ ** _? Just let me think I had a chance?! You've known for  _ **_months_ ** _ how I felt and you didn't even think to tell me this was happening? How many times do you want to  _ **_fuck your own brother_ ** _ too you utter prick! You always get everything you want!” _

 

He backed away, trying to at least lead Saeran away from Zifeara. His anger could switch targets on a dime and he was well aware. “Saeran, it's not like that. This only just happened today and- and I didn’t plan it... I thought I'd have time to sit you down and talk to you about this after Zifeara left. I- I definitely didn't think that you’d confess toda-”

 

This time when Saeran went to hit him, he was ready. He dodged out of the way, still trying to placate his twin as he went. What he wasn't ready for was Zifeara putting herself between them. She used Saeran’s own momentum to divert his blow, making him stagger to the side away from both of them. Saeyoung had seen her do this before; she was making him expend all his energy till Unknown wasn't strong enough to stay in control. Zifeara kept it up, letting him try to hit his twin only to move him at the last second, always keeping herself in the middle. She waited until the tears streaming down Saeran’s face became prominent and caught the next swing he took, holding his fists with her hands firmly but gently. He just about spit in her face when he spoke.

 

_ “What, scared I'll kill your new  _ **_boyfriend_ ** _ if I touch him? Cause you're right, I just  _ **_fucking_ ** _ might!” _

 

_ “Saeran, please stop, you know I'm not going to let you hurt your brother.  _ **_Listen_ ** _ to me.” _ She was doing it again; using the assertive but caring tone that could always talk him down, reaching out with her heart through her insanely expressive eyes, hypnotizing him into bringing Saeran Choi out where he belonged and shoving Unknown back into his corner. She was the only one who could do that to him and she was able to do it faster and faster lately.  _ “I didn't know either of you felt for me like you do until today. Things happened between your brother and I and we can't call a do over now. We can, however, deal with this like reasonable adults. And if you come with me, you and I can talk about this without Saeyoung for a second in your room.” _

 

He went to turn his head to cast a doubtful and still hateful glance towards his twin, but she had control of him now and he snapped back to attention as soon as she spoke.  _ “No, forget about him, look at me.” _

 

She risked letting go of one of his hands to brush her fingers over his cheek. He looked like he was coming around and that was the final straw.  _ “Please, Saeran?” _

 

He searched her eyes, regaining some of his senses.  _ “...Okay. But Zifeara… Wh-what… what could you possibly do? How we  _ **_all_ ** _ be- be remotely happy with all of…  _ **_this_ ** _?” _

 

Saeyoung knew to stay quiet and let Zifeara work her magic, but Saeran had a point. He really didn't think his brother would be content with the easy solution that just popped into his head. As a matter of fact… what he was thinking of was making him flush a bit. It was kinda hot, but probably wrong...

 

Zifeara smiled, starting to pull Saeran backwards towards the hallway.  _ “Twins share everything, don't they?” _

 

***

 

When everything first went to Hell, he was catatonic. A ghost of his former self, moving to and fro only to do menial tasks. It was this way for about 2 weeks. Then he realized that was the worst thing he could do. If he wanted Zifeara to come back, he had to prove that he could get his shit together once and for all. That he could change for real. So Yoosung started working harder at his classes than he ever had before. He was becoming the model student in every area he could. He started cooking again, cleaning every single day, sleeping human hours again. He posted the results of every one of his tests in the RFA chatroom. It got to the point where his life was now an open book. At first that seemed to be working. After about a month of this new Yoosung, Zifeara allowed him to play LOLOL with her again. Then she let him sit next to her at the next RFA meeting, though Seven was on her other side and was excessively hovering. Then she started returning his texts and calls. He was building everything back up, he just had to start from the bottom. Yoosung refused to believe he couldn't reclaim his boyfriend status. It was attainable, he just had to work hard and be very careful. She had told him time and time again that she loved him and Zifeara never lied. He wasn't deterred when she refused to hang out with him by herself. That was fine, she just wasn't there yet and it was understandable. He wouldn't be pushy. He wasn't even bothered when he noticed she was sitting oddly at a get together. The sort of subtly awkward sitting he was well acquainted with; the kind that was a clear indication she'd been having sex. He also understood that. He knew all too well that in that regard, Zifeara had needs and they would have to be met somehow. 

It was about 8 months after they had broken up that he got the first red flag that maybe his plan wasn't going the way he wanted it to. He saw Zifeara while he was out with some of his classmates. They were wandering around that night, about to go to a bar. He almost went to say hello to her, maybe see if she'd join him while pointedly ignoring Saeran, but Seven came around the corner, drinks carefully balanced in his arms. She took a drink from him and said something both twins laughed at. They turned to walk down the street, back to whatever they were doing and she took Saeran’s hand. Yoosung knew both the twins could be kinda touchy, but he could feel his breath catch when Seven put an arm around her, resting his hand on her hip. While she still had her fingers entwined with his twin. He was overreacting. Or seeing things. Or both. She wasn't that far gone, she was just really close to the twins. She had always been close to them. That was normal.

The more he saw the three of them together, the more little red flags he started collecting. It was all in the way they touched. The way they looked at each other. How he never saw her without one of them. How they seemed to guard her as if she were their most precious treasure. This was no way to live. Yoosung could tell she was overcompensating for their breakup; she was lonely and he had been a lot to keep up with. More was better, right? Soon she'd realize whatever it was she was doing wasn't going to fill the void and then she would come back to him. Zifeara had always told him he was special. So special she needed to have a…  _ thing _ with the twins to realize it took two of them to make one of him. That he was better. Just like she had always told him he was.

The blonde kept up with things in his life. He had to maintain the status quo and and be patient and in no time, he would have his girl back. Pretty soon he was going to graduate. The whole RFA was coming to the ceremony and all. Zifeara showed up to it with both twins in tow. He started working. The twins bought Zifeara a puppy and he was their vet. He got his own clinic. Zifeara got Seven a cat and now he tended to both their animals. The longer this went on, the less confident he was that that he was correct. The three of them… actually seemed happy. The final nail in the coffin came in the mail. 

He was invited to the wedding. All three names were on the card.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes the title is based on something:
> 
> "Error Code 573: {Missing System File} The required system file %hs is bad or missing. [ERROR_MISSING_SYSTEMFILE (0x23D)]"
> 
> This error occurs for the most part with computer games and the system file being bad just struck a chord with me and seemed fitting. I liked it, is what I'm saying.


End file.
